Stars in a Luckless Wasteland
by Redd Hedd
Summary: War. War never changes. In the year 2077, the world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation. 200 years later, a young girl leaves the safety of home to search for her missing parent, finding friendship and adventure along the way.
1. First Lesson

Well, this story has been festering in my hard drive for over a month know, and in my head for even longer. But know, it's finally ready to post. I hope.

Before we start, however, I'd like to say a few things. First, please don't be intimidated if you have not played Fallout 3 or have not watched Lucky Star. I will attempt to explain the various elements of the Fallout world as much as possible, and the Lucky Star characters are developed within this world.

Second, this story is written as if the characters from Lucky Star have lived in the world of Fallout 3 for their whole lives. They have not magically been teleported here from their own world.

Third, this story stars the Lucky Star characters; Fallout 3 is merely the setting. This means that while I have kept as much intact from both franchises as possible, some Fallout characters will be missing and some gameplay elements will be bent to fit what I need. Also, the characters from Lucky Star will be as in character as possible. This means that if Yutaka were cast as a raider, (she isn't) she would be the nicest, sweetest little raider you would ever meet, and not a bloodthirsty psychopath like raiders are supposed to be.

And now the disclaimer.

**I will only say this once. To my knowledge, Lucky Star is owned Kagami Yoshimizu and produced by Kyoto Animation. Fallout is owned and produced by Bethesda Softworks.**

There. Author's rant over. Please proceed, and enjoy.

* * *

The nineteen year old girl placed a hand on the board-covered, chain link gate before her. Her wrist mounted Pip-Boy 3000 personal computer glowed in the darkness. She turned around and glanced at the enormous, metal, cog-shaped door, emblazoned with the number "101" in the center. _Maybe I can go back... Maybe it's not too late._ Thoughts of the terrible ordeal she had just endured suddenly flashed through her mind, bringing tears to her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and then turned back to the gate, a determined look on her face. _No. I have to face my fears. I have to find my mother._

Miyuki Takara opened the gate with a forceful shove. Blinding sunlight filled the cave, glaring off her glasses. Miyuki shielded her sensitive violet eyes as she stepped out into the wastes. Once her eyes had adjusted, she gazed out over the ruined landscape. A sense of wonder and curiosity overcame her as she surveyed the strange world of the Capitol Wasteland. A soft breeze caught her voluminous pink hair as she stared up – for the first time in her life – at the bright, grayish sky. Gripping the straps of her Vault-Tec backpack, the vault dweller wandered down the rocky path and onto the ruined road, mouth agape.

As she stared at the skeletal remains of the houses, Miyuki heard a steady drum beat accompanied by a flute. She followed the sound to its source and found a metal ball levitating over the ground and playing the music through a speaker. Miyuki looked disappointed. _Oh, it must be just a recording._ Her expression turned thoughtful. _ Still, its amazing that this robot can still function without maintenance._ She turned to continue walking as the song ended, but stopped when she heard a voice.

"Hello again, America the magnificent. This is President Eden. And I was hoping we could talk."

Miyuki turned back to the robot. _President Eden?_

Eden's voice continued. "Let's talk about government, shall we? Or more specifically, your government, dear America. The Enclave. Just who is the Enclave? Why now, that's simple. The Enclave is you, America. The Enclave is your sister, your aunt, your friend, your neighbor. And well, yes, the Enclave is me as well."

Miyuki's eyes brightened with hope. _The Enclave? Maybe there is still civilization out here after all!_

"As your president, it is my responsibility to-"

The President was interrupted by a nearby gunshot, and Miyuki covered her face as the robot exploded. She turned to her right and saw a man atop the rocks. He sported a hunting rifle and makeshift armor, and he looked filthy.

"Whoops! Sorry baby, were you listenin' to that?" he asked mockingly.

Miyuki was frightened, but she tried not to show it. "Uh, actually, I was."

The man shrugged. "Well, I never really liked the radio. I prefer watching people dance!" He shot the ground close to Miyuki's foot, causing her to jump back in surprise.

"P-Please stop that!" she cried, still trying to appear brave.

The man chambered another round. "Aw, you don't like this?" He shot the ground again.

Miyuki ran and ducked behind a wrecked car as the man laughed. "C'mon babe! You can't hide from me!" Miyuki covered her head as three more shots hit the car. To her surprise, the car started to burn. She dashed away down the road as the man called out "Where ya goin' sweetheart? You're gonna miss the fireworks!" _Fireworks?_

Just then, a thunderous explosion ripped the car apart, shooting a large mushroom cloud into the air and throwing Miyuki to the ground. Another round impacted the pavement next to her, prompting her to scramble to her feet and continue running down the road. The raider laughed as he vaulted down off the rocks and chased after her.

Miyuki followed the destroyed road, looking for a place to hide. She soon spotted a mostly intact building, identified by a sign as the Springvale Elementary School. She dashed to the door and practically threw herself inside as another potshot rang out behind her. She leaned back against the door with her eyes closed, silently praying that the man didn't see her enter. After a few seconds, she heard footsteps outside. She squeezed her eyes tighter, but the footsteps soon got quieter, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Upon inhaling, however, she detected an absolutely horrible odor. She finally opened her eyes and turned away from the door. Pure terror filled her face as she stared at the scene before her.

The room she was standing in was like something from her worst nightmares; worse even then those induced by Beatrice's poetry. Blood and bones littered the inside of a large cage before her. Beside the cage lay a filthy, blood-soaked mattress, mutilated limbs and torsos strewn atop it. But worst of all were the corpses. Two corpses were pinned to the wall above the mattress, and hanging from the ceiling were six—no, seven!— corpses; all were headless and stained with dried blood. Tears she had held back during the chase now burst forth from Miyuki's eyes. Only the thought of a madman huntingfor her kept her from screaming outright.

Miyuki tried to stay calm as she reached behind her for the door handle, though her shaking hands betrayed her terror. She wrapped her fingers around the handle and gave it a gentle tug.

The door did not move.

Miyuki's head snapped back to face the door. She tugged harder.

The door still did not open.

Panicked, Miyuki grabbed both door handles and pulled repeatedly, to no avail. _No, no, please no!_

As she shook the doors, a silhouette appeared on the grime covered door window. "Now, now, sweetheart. No leaving the school while class is in session. My pals have a lot to teach you, baby."

Miyuki stepped back from the barricaded door. "P-Please let me go! I don't want to die!"

The man laughed. "Sorry babe, but you really need to learn this lesson." He began pounding the door. "Alright boys!" he yelled, "We got fresh meat! Let her have it!"

Miyuki heard voices behind her and spun to face the door to the right, slowly backing up towards the corner. She retrieved the baseball bat sticking out of her backpack and crouched in the corner, hoping to sneak attack her attackers. Three raiders entered the room slowly and deliberately, prowling in the darkness as Miyuki tried her best to stay quiet, still, and hidden.

"This is bullshit! Come out and fight!" one of the raiders called out.

"She's scared, just like a little bitch!" a female raider responded.

Miyuki cringed at the cruelty in the raider's voices. One of them started to wander in her direction, and Miyuki's heart pounded faster and faster the closer he got. _Oh no! I don't know if I'm ready for this! But I have to try, or I'm done for!_

Miyuki hesitantly readied her bat and prepared to move once the raider got in range. She closed her eyes and sprung up when he reached her, bringing her bat up in an uppercut. The bat connected with the raider's chin, sending him sprawling backwards.

Miyuki stared in disbelief at the unconscious man before the other raider's shouts brought her back to the situation at hand. The female raider dashed toward her, swinging a combat knife. Miyuki stumbled backwards to dodge and wildly swung her bat, her clumsiness sending her down into some trash as the knife was knocked from the raider's hand. The raider pulled back a foot for a kick, but Miyuki lashed out and kicked the raider's leg out from under her. As the raider fell, Miyuki got up on her knees and raised the bat above her head. She brought it down on the raider's head, feeling a bit guilty for being so brutal.

As she stood up, a .32 round slammed into her bat, sending splinters flying from the point of impact. The raider kept firing as Miyuki covered her head and dashed out the door. As she ran, however, Miyuki slipped in a streak of blood and stumbled into the room across the hall. She collided with a table close to the door, sending both her and a giant mole rat corpse sprawling to the ground. The raider ran up to the overturned table and pointed his pistol over the side at her. A single round hit the ground inches from her head before Miyuki batted the gun from the raider's hand. The raider growled and vaulted over the table, crouching down on top of Miyuki as he landed. He ripped the bat from Miyuki's grip and threw it across the room, then he reached down and grabbed her neck. Miyuki's eyes bulged as the man's rough and filthy fingers wrapped around her throat. She uselessly tried to pry the raider's hands from her neck as her eyes darted back and forth, searching for a weapon. She spotted a knife stuck in the mole rat corpse beside her and reached out to grab it. After wrapping her fingers around the handle, she stabbed the raider's bicep. The dull blade did not pierce through the arm completely, but it was enough. The raider released Miyuki while grabbing for the knife, allowing her to squirm out from under him and run out of the room.

Miyuki frantically searched for a hiding place as she ran down the hall. She spotted a restroom as she passed a centuries old chalkboard and dashed inside. Ignoring the gore-strewn mattress in the corner, Miyuki practically dove into a stall and closed the door. Moments later, she heard the raider run past the restroom and down the hall, loudly cursing her. She waited a full minute before the man's voice faded from earshot, allowing her to cautiously sneak down a separate hallway. She eventually came to a stairwell and descended the steps. As she nervously sidestepped a caged skeleton in the hall at the base of the stairs, Miyuki heard shouting coming from a side hall behind her. Turning to look, she was met by a hail of assault rifle rounds, causing her to run the remaining length of the hall. As she rounded a corner and ran further down the hallway, another raider appeared from around a corner, carrying a shotgun. Miyuki swung to the right and burst through a set of double doors as a shotgun blast erupted behind her.

On the other side of the doors, Miyuki came to an abrupt halt as she realized that, for the second time in her life, she had stepped out onto the packed down rubble of the Wasteland. Miyuki glanced at the orange sky to verify that she was indeed outside, noting the details of her surroundings as she did so. She was standing in the middle of the dilapidated southern part of the school, where the entire three floors of the building had collapsed. Steel reinforcing bars protruding from the ruined walls seemed to claw at the sky, and only small edges of the floors were left still attached to the wall in many places.

Miyuki's thoughts were interrupted by a flurry of 10mm rounds speeding her way. A raider was perched on the remains of the ruined second story floor. Miyuki noticed a ramp of dirt leading to ground level to her left. Miyuki sprung towards it with an almost joyous look on her face, despite being under fire. Escape was finally so close!—But not close enough.

Halfway up the ramp, Miyuki was stopped dead in her tracks by someone standing in the narrow gap in the ruined wall. The sound of a cycling bolt made her cringe as the raider who had chased her into this nightmare descended upon her. Had she been less terrified, Miyuki would have noticed that the leader was flanked by the man she had stabbed, whose wound was already scabbed over thanks to a stimpak. Miyuki backed away as the leader continued toward her, but the assault rifleman and shotgunner had already passed through the double doors, blocking her retreat. By now the pistoleer had descended the tangle of damaged stairs and makeshift bridges, and was directly overlooking them from the first floor. Miyuki was trapped between a pile of rubble and five separate gun barrels.

The leader chuckled, sounding more menacing then amused. "You're a real handful, aren't you? I still can't believe how bad you banged up my guys." The leader elbowed the arm Miyuki had stabbed, causing the raider to grunt in pain. "How's that arm of yours doin' anyway?" the leader taunted. "Better," the raider replied through clenched teeth. "Good to hear."

The leader turned back to Miyuki. "You're a feisty one, alright. Problem with that is you'll keep tryin' to run away. But I think I know how to fix that."

The leader fired his rifle at Miyuki's leg. Miyuki cried out as the round ripped through her calf, sending her to the ground. Miyuki clutched at her leg as she once again began to cry. Two raiders grabbed her arms and dragged her back towards the double doors. She kicked and screamed and pleaded, but the raiders just laughed cruelly at her.

Suddenly, a 10mm pistol fell from above, clacking on the concrete as it landed. As Miyuki, along with the raiders, stopped to stare up where the pistol came from, the pistoleer teetered forward and fell from his perch. The raider face-planted onto the concrete, revealing fatal stab wounds in his neck and spine. Miyuki gasped from shock, but the raiders merely narrowed their eyes and readied their weapons.

The assault rifleman climbed the ramp to the first floor while the others waited. He examined the platform, but he could not find the attacker. "Better hope I don't find you," he muttered as he began probing the area with his rifle. Soon the leader climbed the ramp, looking impatient.

"Well?" he demanded.

"Looks like a hit and run. There's no one up here," the rifleman reported as he faced the leader.

Seeing that the raider's back was turned, a girl emerged from the long shadows cast by the setting sun. Quicker than you could say "Sneak Attack," the girl had dug her twin combat knives into the raider's back. The girl ripped the blades from the corpse, making a small spray of blood as the raider's body collapsed before the surprised leader. The girl ran to the floors edge, dodging the leader's rifle round as she leaped towards him, her knives poised to strike. The leader brought his rifle up horizontally to block the blow, but the girl's reverse grip allowed her to hook the blades around the gun. With surprising strength, the girl used her knives like mantis claws to rip the rifle from her opponent's hands and fling it out of reach. As she twisted back from throwing the gun, the disarmed leader swung a fist at the girl. The blow connected with her shoulder, momentarily stunning her and allowing the leader to tackle her to the ground. The remaining raiders and Miyuki watched as they tumbled down the small slope and rolled apart at the bottom.

As the girl rose to her knees, Miyuki took a moment to examine her. She was surprisingly short, but her bright blue hair reached down to her feet. She wore a faded red short sleeved shirt that exposed her midriff, as well as a tight black leather vest of similar length. She also wore black pants and boots, and the adventurer's outfit was completed by fingerless gloves, numerous belt pouches, and a rough leather duffel bag hanging from her shoulder.

While Miyuki stared at the strange girl, the raiders raised their weapons. The girl regarded the threats with squared emerald eyes before replacing her blank expression with a confident, catlike grin. The girl sprung up from her crouch and dashed forward, ducking .32 rounds and shot as she closed on the raiders. As the .32 pistoleer reloaded his gun, the girl lunged forward and dug her knife into the raider's stab wound, the sharpened blade digging deeper than the kitchen knife had. The raider howled in pain, dropping his pistol and clutching his arm as the girl ripped the knife from his flesh. She then dropped to dodge a blast from the shotgun behind her, resulting in the pistoleer taking the full spray of pellets. The girl spun around with a kick, knocking the gun barrel into the air as the raider fired a second time. Having diverted the blast, the girl repeatedly stabbed the gunner's exposed torso before pounding the blade down into his skull.

The finished assault had put the girl standing directly over a very frightened Miyuki, one foot on either side of the meganekko. The blunette stared down at the vault dweller, her eyes squinted mischievously.

"Hi there! My name's Konata!"

Miyuki blinked in surprise. She had not expected this apparently practiced killer to sound so friendly. Miyuki just stared at this strange girl until she noticed the raider leader emerge from behind some rubble.

"Konata-san! Look out!" she managed to shout.

Konata turned in time to see the leader charging at her, holding a Chinese officer's sword high in the air. Konata barely had time to block the blow, and its strength knocked the knife from her hand. Ducking beneath a second slash, she ran past the raider and delivered a slash of her own, cutting his forearm as he turned around. Ignoring the wound, the raider continued slashing, rapidly pushing the small girl up the ramp and onto the first floor. Konata attempted several counters, but her short blade was unable to reach the raider as she was backed into a corner. The raider put all his strength into one final slash, snapping the blade clean off of Konata's combat knife as she blocked. Konata's pupils shrunk with shock as she dropped the knife handle and raised her hands. The raider grinned as he pulled his sword back, ready to impale her. As he lunged forward, however, Konata pushed off the wall and dropped beneath the sword. Sliding between the raider's legs, the nimble girl removed a fragmentation mine from a belt pouch and dexterously tucked it into the raider's belt. Konata then rolled to her feet and sprinted towards the edge of the platform, with the raider chasing her. She dove off the ledge, covering her head as she flopped onto a surprised Miyuki. The raider leaped into the air above them, pointing his sword down at the girls. As he descended on them, the frag mine tucked into his belt went off. Blood and gore rained down on the two girls, and the sword shot downwards, digging itself into the dirt next to Miyuki's head.

After a few seconds of silence, Konata uncovered her head and looked at Miyuki, her eyes squinted and an exaggerated grin on her face. "So, what's your name?" the smaller girl asked.

Miyuki stared at her. _How can she be so calm, after a fight like that? And she's covered in blood!_ "Um, my name is Miyuki Takara. Um, I'm sorry, but, do you know that you're covered in blood?"

Konata waved the question off. "So? It's really just my hair, and that washes off easy with some Abraxo cleaner."

"Oh. I... I see."

Konata folded her arms and rested her chin on them, which she in turn rested on Miyuki's sizable breasts. "So, what's a cute little vault dweller like you doing in a place like this?" Konata inquired, her tone playful.

Miyuki blushed, a bit uncomfortable from Konata leaning on her, but she tried to remain sociable. _Maybe out here this position is... normal?_ "Well, um, I came out here from Vault 101 in search of my mother. She went missing last night, and..." Thoughts of her escape flashed through Miyuki's mind. "Well, I had no choice but to look for her."

Konata tilted her head. "Wow, you must be close to your mom. I don't know if I would stick my neck out like that for my dad!"

Miyuki's eyes turned into shocked black ovals. _She said that so casually!_

"So, um," Miyuki started, "Are... are you from the Enclave?"

Konata threw her head back and laughed, planting her hands on either side of the meganekko for balance. "Me, with the Enclave! That's funny!" the small girl bellowed. "What makes you think that?" she asked, bringing her face down uncomfortably close to Miyuki's.

"Oh, well, I thought maybe you were a member of the militia, perhaps? Isn't the Enclave the government out here?"

Konata sputtered. "Government!" she cried out before burying her face in Miyuki's chest and laughing harder than before. She wiped tears from her eyes as she once again faced Miyuki, still chuckling. "Don't tell me you've been listening to those Eyebots! The only thing the Enclave does is run that radio station! You really must be from that vault!"

Miyuki blushed from embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I really don't know much about life outside."

Konata suddenly sat up on her knees, to Miyuki's relief, and held her chin, her squinted eyes looking thoughtful. "You know, it's kind of a rare occurrence, someone leaving the vault and all. Not everyday when it happens."

"Um, it never happens. No one ever leaves the vault."

Konata looked down at Miyuki, confused. Her expression turned to one of knowing, however. "Right, right, that's what I meant. Anyway, it's getting late and I need to get back home. You'll be spending the night here, I take it?"

"Oh, um, I would prefer to accompany you... th-that is if you'll have me, I don't want to intrude, but, I really don't want to stay-"

"Relax, relax," Konata said with a sweatdrop, "I was joking. Of course you can come with me." _Geez, _Konata thought,_ she's really high-strung!_

"Alright then, one thing we need to take care of." Konata retrieved a syringe with a gauge attached from one of her belt pouches and jammed it straight into Miyuki's leg wound. Miyuki cried out as the needle pierced her flesh.

"Wh-what are you doing?!"

Konata removed the syringe and showed it to Miyuki. "This is a stimpak. It uses special medicine to help you heal faster."

"Um, I don't mean to sound rude, but I know what a stimpak is, and there is a better way to apply one."

"Really? How?"

"Well, gently inserting the needle into a primary artery, such as those located in the inner thighs, will allow the medicine to spread throughout the body, enabling a more efficient and painless recovery."

"Oh, I see," Konata remarked, her eyes shining like four-pointed stars, "I'll just go for your thighs next time!"

Miyuki sweatdropped as her face turned red. "Oh no, th-that won't be necessary! The arteries in the wrist work just as well!"

Konata's grin widened. _She's so moe! _

"Alright then," Konata declared as she stood and offered her hand to Miyuki, "Let's get you on your feet."

Miyuki took the girl's hand and pulled herself up. Despite its crude application, the stimpak had already begun to work on Miyuki's leg; the muscle tissue was starting to mend as the holes in her calf scabbed over. It still hurt to put her full weight on it though.

"Still sore?" Konata asked. Miyuki nodded.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Konata said as she picked up her intact combat knife. She twirled the weapon in her fingers before tucking it into her belt. "Don't worry though, the stim' still needs to kick in all the way. Just wait here for a minute."

Miyuki nodded and leaned on the wall while Konata collected the guns from the fallen raiders. Shoving the firearms in her bag as she approached Miyuki, she finally yanked the Chinese sword from the dirt. She inspected the blade and frowned when she noticed that it had been bent by the explosion. "Oh well. Nothing Moira can't bang into place, though it'll cost a bit..." She muttered as she tucked the sword into her belt by her knife.

By now Miyuki could walk with relative comfort, and so they walked up the ramp and through the gap in the wall.

"You know," Miyuki said, "I knew things would be rough out here in this, this..."

"Wasteland?" Konata supplied.

"Yes, this wasteland, but I did not think that people could be so... cruel."

"Well, your welcoming committee isn't all the Capitol Wasteland has to offer. There are lots of good, honest people out here."

"Like you, Konata-san." Miyki replied gratefully.

Konata rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I'm not the most honest person out here, but I guess you could say I'm good. I don't go around killing for fun like those raiders do."

Miyuki shuddered. "I don't know how you can live with people like them around."

Konata smiled proudly. "Well, I manage, as you saw. Just make sure you've got something like this-" she rested her hand on her knife's hilt, "-and you'll be fine. Oh! That reminds me..." Konata opened her bag and dug around in it before pulling out Miyuki's baseball bat. She handed the bat to Miyuki.

"Always keep your weapon with you," Konata said, her tone serious, "Out here, there are far too many dangers not to. Even taking a trip between towns is dangerous."

Miyuki nodded. "I understand, Konata-san."

"Good!" Konata's tone was once again light-hearted.

By now they had reached the spot where Miyuki had listened to the robot's radio broadcast. Konata smirked at the wrecked car before tapping her knuckles on a crude signpost. The rusted metal sign read 'Megaton' in yellow spray paint, along with an arrow.

"I take it you got shot at before noticing this," Konata said.

Miyuki gave an embarrassed smile. "I'm afraid so."

"Well, that's where we're headed. Good old Megaton! It's actually one of the safest towns for miles, so you don't have to worry about any more raiders."

"Thank goodness. I'm pleased to hear that."

Konata led the way down the dirt road indicated by the sign, and before long, the settlement of Megaton came into view over the rocky path. Miyuki gasped in amazement at the sight. The town was surrounded by a large wall, constructed of a patchwork of metal sheets and plates. Mounted above the gate was a jet turbine salvaged from an old airplane, and two long wings stood on either side of the gate, forming tall spires.

As they approached, a stocky Protectron robot turned to face them. "Welcome to Megaton," the robot began, "The bomb is perfectly safe. We promise."

"Eh? Why did that robot mention a bomb?" Miyuki asked, sounding concerned.

"Huh? Oh, don't mind Deputy Weld, it's nothing, really," Konata replied, rubbing the back of her head.

"Hey, Stockholm!" she called. A man appeared on the balcony above the gate. "Konata? I just closed the gate for the night!" he called down.

"Well, open it up again! We've got company!" Konata side-hugged Miyuki's waist. "Hello there!" Miyuki greeted Stockholm while eyesmiling and waving politely.

Stockholm sighed before turning around to start the gate. Soon, the jet turbine spit out a small puff of flame as it started spinning. The turbine was attached to the gate's two metal slabs by pulleys. Miyuki stared in wonder as the turbine winched open the gate, allowing them to enter the town. The Protectron gave its preprogrammed greeting, "Head on in, pardner. Y'all enjoy your stay now." Miyuki smiled at the robot as Konata pulled her into town by the arm.

* * *

There you have it. If you've made it this far, then I thank you for taking the time to get here. Feel free to post your criticisms in a review. Praise would be nice too, but I would appreciate it if critique was attached as well. I won't pretend that I'm perfect; you shouldn't either.

If you liked this enough to continue reading, then I must warn you. I am a terribly slow writer, so updates may be few and far between. However, I have devised a method for easing the wait. Every Sunday, I will provide a status update for the story in my profile. While I have no intentions of dropping this story, if I do, you guys will know.


	2. Welcome to Megaton

First off, I would like to thank my reviewers for, well, reviewing. It's nice to know that my story is being read. Second, I would like to confirm what you all figured out: this story is not in any way related to Tastychainsaws' similar crossover, Falling Stars. Indeed, "lolwut" sums up my response when I found that someone else had published a Lucky Star/Fallout crossover. Personally, I find it to be a fascinating coincidence. But my story has been in the works, if only in my mind, since late November, and was actually inspired by ArmorBlade's Lucky Star/Oblivian story: Standing Between Luck and Oblivian. If you haven't, I recommend reading it. I won't say it's perfect, since I'm a hypercritical ass, but ArmorBlade does an amazing job of weaving the girls into the world, and that hooked me.

I must say, I'm happy that Tastychainsaws and myself can share a readership, though it looks like I'll have to post a lot more before Luckless Wasteland is as popular as Falling Stars. And to Tastychainsaws, I'm flattered that you actually read and reviewed my story. I plan on doing the same for you, but you write so fast it's hard to keep up! I've only had the free time to get to chapter three on Falling Stars, but I'll catch up at some point.

And to answer Condor green's question, it will follow the main storyline of Fallout 3, but the beauty of Fallout 3 is that it's an open world game; no two people will play exactly the same story. Likewise, a story set there can and likely will be significantly different from any other story set there, thanks to the incredible amount of leeway in Fallout 3's plot. Also, in case anyone is interested, I will include Fallout 3's expansion packs in my story, and one in particular has a bit of a surprise hooked on to the end. But I shouldn't tease, I'm only on chapter 2 after all.

* * *

"Oh my," Miyuki gasped as Konata led her through a hinged inner gate. "This is amazing!"

The vault dweller gazed around at the assorted scrap metal shacks that made up the town. Some sat on the ground, some were piled on top of others, some even stood on long stilts. Pipes snaked along the ground and hung in the air, and catwalks crisscrossed to and from the highest buildings.

Konata smiled at Miyuki's childlike wonder before looking out at the town herself. "I wouldn't call it amazing, but it's home. And there's no place like it," she stated fondly.

"Well I'll be damned," a male voice started, "You're from that vault! Vault 101!" The girls faced the man as he chuckled. "I ain't seen one of those jumpsuits in a long time!"

"Ah, Sheriff Simms!" Konata greeted.

"Hey, Konata. You know, I've seen you open a lot of locked doors, but I never imagined you could get into that vault. I hope you didn't bring back a troublemaker."

Konata rubbed her head. "Well, I actually found her in the school. She got herself cornered by some raiders."

"I see." He turned to Miyuki. "You're lucky to be alive, Miss."

Miyuki eyesmiled. "Indeed. If Konata-san had not arrived, I would likely not be here. My name is Miyuki Takara," she said with a bow.

"Pleased to meet you. Name's Lucas Simms, town sheriff. And mayor too, when the need arises."

"This is a very nice town, Sheriff. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Friendly AND well-mannered? I think we're gonna get along just fine. You treat my people nice, and you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like."

"Of course. Thank you for being so welcoming!"

"Sure thing. Just be sure to watch your pockets if you're staying with Konata."

"Hey!" Konata interjected, "I'm not that bad..."

"Well, I won't keep you two any longer," Lucas said, "Stay out of trouble."

"Goodbye!" Miyuki called after him. "My, everyone is so nice in this town."

"He can be, but the Sheriff can also be a real pain, too," Konata said with a shrug. "Anyway, come on. I'll take you to my place. You could use some rest." She started to walk down the hill, and Miyuki followed.

"Konata-san, thank you. You have been very kind to me, and we've only just met. I don't even know your whole name."

Konata turned to face her as they walked. "It's Izumi. Konata Izumi. And don't sweat it. I've never been one to let the raiders have their way. Besides, it's really no trouble if you stay at my place. Dad would really enjoy having you around," Konata said, directing her eyes to Miyuki's ample bust. Miyuki didn't catch the shorter girl's implication.

"Well, thank you all the same. I really owe you more than my life, Izumi-san."

Konata grinned. "Aw, the way you're so polite all the time makes you so _moe_!"

Miyuki tilted her head. "Eh? _Moe_? Is that bad?"

Konata held up her hands. "No, no, your character is perfect! Keep it up!"

"Uh, thank you, I suppose." Miyuki faced forward and stopped suddenly.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Konata asked.

"K-Konata-san? Is... is that what I think it is?!" Miyuki was pointing at the enormous atomic bomb dug into the ground and surrounded by a small pool of stagnant water.

"Well, if you think it's an atomic bomb, then yeah. It's perfectly safe though."

Miyuki cast her a nervous look. Konata reached up to place a hand on Miyuki's shoulder. "Yuki-chan, I've lived here my whole life, and that bomb has never done anything but sit there. It's fine." Miyuki smiled a bit, relieved, but threw a concerned look over her shoulder as they walked on.

As they ascended the ramps and catwalks over the town, Miyuki noticed that the town was built in the crater formed by the bomb's impact. The central plaza surrounding the bomb was home to the handful of ground level establishments, while the many other buildings were built – rather precariously, it suddenly seemed – on the crater walls.

"We're here!" Konata announced, drawing Miyuki from her thoughts. She glanced up at the building. She couldn't identify it, since it had just turned dark out, but it was built like all the others from sheets of scrap metal.

Konata grabbed her arm. "Come on, Dad will want to meet you." Konata pulled Miyuki into the building, revealing it to be a saloon of sorts. There was a bar which took up most of the floor, along with some scattered small tables. A staircase led up to the second floor, which overlooked the first. All the patrons had already left for the night

"Dad! I'm back!" Konata called.

"Ah, Konata!" a voice called from one of the back rooms. "I was beginning to think I'd have to eat raw dog meat for dinner!" The man was eyesmiling and rubbing his head as he walked into view. His short hair was a darker blue than Konata's, and he wore a settler's outfit; a loose gray-green shirt with gray trousers. "I really don't know what I'd do without you!"

Konata's father opened his eyes and froze, his jaw hanging open. He quickly composed himself. "K-Konata," he asked, sweatdropping and looking nervous, "who's your friend?"

Konata grinned. Her father's reaction was better than she had hoped. "This is Miyuki Takara! Yuki-chan, this is my dad, Sojiro!" She held her hands out at both of them, presenting them to each other.

"Pleased to meet you!" Miyuki said with a polite bow.

Sojiro turned sideways, avoiding eye contact and scratching his chin. "Y-yeah, same here..." _My God, it's her!, _Sojiro thought, _The little baby girl, all grown up! Really grown up... She looks so much like her mother!_

"Well," Konata started as she headed for a back room, "I'll start making dinner, both of you must be hungry."

Miyuki and Sojiro both perked up. "Oh, yes please!" they said simultaneously. They faced each other for a moment and then laughed. Konata smiled as she disappeared around the corner.

* * *

"Well, you two seem to be getting along!" Konata said as she carried a stack of dishes in one hand and a large tray in the other out from the kitchen. She had washed her hair and removed her vest, wearing an apron instead. Miyuki was sitting at the bar, and Sojiro had pulled a stool behind the bar so he could face her.

"Ah, Konata. I was just telling Miyuki-san about how I set up the saloon. So, what did you make for dinner?" Sojiro asked as she set down the dishes.

Konata grinned. "Well, since we have a guest, I decided to make something extra special. Behold!" She set down the tray, revealing the contents. "A heaping slab of brahmin steak with a side of squirrel stew!"

Sojiro's eyes lit up and he clasped his hands together. "Konata! That looks absolutely delicious!"

Miyuki was hesitant, but did not show it. "My, that looks very nice," she said politely.

"I'm glad you think so," Konata said. She divided the large steak into three portions and handed them out. Then she ladled the stew into three bowls and handed those out. Finally, she passed out silverware and plastic bottles of water.

Sojiro dug in as soon as everything was in front of him, but Miyuki waited politely for Konata to round the bar and take a seat next to her. Rather than eat, however, the blunette watched Miyuki expectantly. The meganekko took the hint and cut off a small piece of steak, eying it carefully before putting it in her mouth.

Konata brought her face close to Miyuki's. "Wellllll?" she asked as Miyuki chewed and swallowed.

"Oh my." She turned to face Konata. "Konata-san, this is delicious!"

Konata jumped up and stood on her stool, pumping her fist. "Ha ha, victory!" she shouted. Miyuki sweatdropped.

"I've never met anyone who can match Konata's cooking!" Sojiro exclaimed as Konata sat down. "Hey, is this ant meat in the stew?" he asked.

Konata nodded. "I find that it compliments the flavor of the squirrel meat." Sojiro nodded in confirmation and continued eating.

"Hm? Ant meat?" the vault dweller asked.

"Oh, you see, there are mutated giant ants out here," Konata explained. "Their meat is pretty healthy, but it usually doesn't taste that good. Unless you know how to cook it, that is."

"Ah, I see." Miyuki took a spoonful of stew. Despite looking a bit unappetizing, the stew proved just as good as the steak. Miyuki showed her approval with a nod and an eyesmile. Konata performed another fist pump, though she remained seated.

"I'm really glad you like the food, Yuki-chan. I was afraid it wouldn't compare to the food in the vault, being irradiated and all."

Miyuki stopped eating. "Irradiated?"

"Well, yeah," Konata said, "What did you expect after two hundred years worth of fallout? Pretty much all the food and water is irradiated. But it's not gonna kill you or anything. The radiation levels are really low, so you just gotta take some Rad Away to flush it from your system every month or so."

"Oh. I see." Miyuki cast a discreet glance at her Pip-Boy's Geiger counter and found that she was, in fact, accumulating rads. She suddenly lost her appetite, but she kept eating, not wanting to appear rude. The fact that the food was genuinely good helped.

"That reminds me," Konata said, "Dad, do we still have any Rad Away? I think we used it all last time, but I'm not sure."

Sojiro stopped eating and held his chin. "Hm, I think you're right. I'll need to buy some from Doc Hoff. His caravan comes to town tomorrow. It's good that you reminded me." He leaned back, folding his arms. "I guess it is about time for our monthly dose, isn't it? That means stomach aches and headaches all day," he said with a sigh.

"Yep, it is a real pain," Konata agreed. "Still, it's better than living with radiation sickness. Trust me on that."

"That's right," Sojiro said, "Didn't Moira want you to get rad sickness for her a few months ago?"

"Yeah, I had to sit in the bomb's puddle for hours before I was sick enough. I could barely climb up to her shop I was so tired. And to top it off, the whole ordeal gave me a mutation!"

Miyuki put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my. Why would you need to do that?"

"Well, Moira wanted to study the effects of rad poisoning for a book she's writing. The Wasteland Survival Guide, she calls it. I've been helping her do research for it for the past few months now. It's dangerous work, but it's way more exciting than just sitting around and serving drinks. No offense, Dad."

"None taken," Sojiro said, "I remember when I was your age, I was always out looking for adventure and excitement. I actually envy you, Konata. Ah, if only I was younger, I would probably join you!"

Konata nodded. "You know, Yuki-chan, I was actually coming back from one of Moira's 'research assignments' when I found you."

"Really? What were you researching?"

"Well, Moira wanted to know if the robots in the old RobCo factory could be put to use. So she gave me this gadget called a 'processor widget,' and had me install it in the mainframe. All the robots woke up, but they were locked in attack mode. Unfortunately, I'm no good with computers, so I had to fight my way back out of the factory. I'll have to tell Moira tomorrow."

"What other tasks have you completed for Moira, Konata-san?" Miyuki asked. Konata grinned, eager to share her adventures with the vault dweller.

As Konata told tales of minefields and mirelurks and supermarkets to a wide eyed Miyuki, Sojiro's thoughts were focused on the pink haired girl. _She must be searching for her mother. Why else would she leave the vault? But she'd never make it, even if I told her. And if she left, Konata would surely go with her. Neither Yukari nor Kanata, bless her soul, would forgive me if I let their daughters go and get themselves killed. No, I must keep them here, away from D.C. Besides, they're both so adorable! I wouldn't want them to leave me even if they would be perfectly safe!_ And so, having made his decision, Sojiro continued to eat, listening to Konata's excited retelling of the story of the exploding mole rats.

* * *

"Ta da!" Konata held her arms out, presenting her room to Miyuki as she entered. The small room was shaped like a sort of backwards L, with the door positioned at the corner. Facing forward, Miyuki saw a stained mattress on a rusted bed frame, with a footlocker beneath. The nook to the left had a rack of five shelves standing against the wall, and the floor was home to many items, mainly scrap and garbage.

"My, this is nice," Miyuki said with a sweatdrop.

Konata chuckled. "You can say it's a dump, Yuki-chan. I won't get offended." Konata walked toward the bed. "Sorry you can't use the guest room, but Dad says we need it open for paying customers."

"That's quite alright. I understand completely." Sojiro had told Miyuki of the saloon's function as an inn.

"Anyway," Konata said, "feel free to kick off your shoes and make yourself at home."

Miyuki noticed that much of the jagged, rusty metal that made up the floor was covered by an old rug, so she took off her vault-issue boots and set them neatly by the door. When she turned around, she was shocked to see Konata kicking her pants onto the floor.

Miyuki quickly turned away, face flushed. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were changing!"

Konata looked over at her. "Hm? Oh, you can look, Yuki-chan. I don't mind."

"O-Okay..." Miyuki turned back just in time to see Konata lifting her shirt over her head, showing off a bare, flat chest. Miyuki's face reddened even more. Now wearing just panties and socks, Konata bent down to throw the clothes in her footlocker and dig out her nightshirt. The plain gray shirt was similar to that worn by her father, and Miyuki breathed a sigh of relief as she put it on. The small girl kicked the footlocker back under her bed; the long shirt reached down to her thighs, so she didn't bother with pants. She plopped down onto the bed, causing the frame to creek, and stretched her arms above her head.

"Man, what a day, huh?"

"Indeed. I can scarcely believe all that's happened today. To think that just this morning I was sound asleep in my bed," Miyuki replied.

"Speaking of beds," Konata said, "I know mine isn't as clean as your old one, but it's not as bad as it looks. You don't mind sleeping on it, do you?"

"Hm? I wouldn't mind, but where would you sleep?"

"Oh, we would share the bed."

Miyuki blushed a bit, her eyes widened slightly. "Share the bed? We can do that?"

"Well sure," Konata said, "The bed may be small, but so am I. We can both fit."

"Oh, I see." That wasn't what Miyuki had meant, but she didn't question it further.

"So, uh, are you gonna sleep in that?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" Miyuki asked.

"Your jumpsuit. It's a little... dirty."

Miyuki looked down and was shocked to find her Vault 101 jumpsuit covered in filth and spots of dried blood. "Oh my! How did this happen?"

"Well, you did get dragged around in the dirt," Konata said, "Not to mention I killed three raiders while standing over you."

"I suppose... I also fell to the ground twice in the school. I can't believe I never noticed!" Miyuki paused for a moment before realizing something, causing her to blush. "Oh my, I don't have any other clothes!"

Konata giggled. "Don't worry, Yuki-chan! We can share body heat!" she said, a bit overenthusiastic.

"Um, a-alright..." Again, that wasn't quite what Miyuki was worried about.

There was an awkward pause, during which Miyuki shifted uneasily and cast a nervous glance at Konata. Konata responded with a catlike grin. "No need to be shy, Yuki-chan," she teased, "We're both girls, after all."

"I suppose..." Miyuki hesitantly reached for the zipper on her neck, her face already turning red. Konata watched intently as Miyuki unzipped the blue jumpsuit and slid her arms from the sleeves, stretching them over her Pip-Boy to do so. The suit fell to the floor, revealing a white sleeveless undershirt and dark blue panties. Konata giggled as Miyuki folded the jumpsuit, causing her blush to darken. The tight undergarments did a much better job of showing off Miyuki's figure then the loose jumpsuit had.

Miyuki set the jumpsuit neatly beside her boots before approaching the bed. Konata gave her a curious look. "Aren't you gonna take that off?" she asked, pointing to Miyuki's wrist.

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't. It's locked on, you see." Miyuki held her arm out to show the device to Konata. The bulky gauntlet-like computer took up half of her forearm, and the interface consisted of a large screen, a radiation meter, three buttons, a knob, and a scroll-wheel.

"That seems inconvenient. What's it do?" Konata asked.

Miyuki's eyes brightened; she was unconsciously glad that attention had been shifted away from her body. "Well, the Pip-Boy 3000 is a state-of-the-art pre-war personal computer. It is can monitor health functions such as heart rate, as well as detecting the addition of chemicals to the bloodstream. It also has a built in Geiger counter and is capable of diagnosing radiation sickness. It has a catalog system for tracking items and equipment, and it uses radar and sonar to create maps of areas I've been to. It also features numerous other functions, including data transfer with a terminal, text input and storage, audio and video holotape compatibility, a radio receiver, a light, and a miniature fission power source."

"Wow. That little thing can do all that?"

"Indeed. The technology is amazing! It's well worth the minor discomfort."

At that moment, a cold draft blew through the room from the rickety patchwork walls, causing Miyuki to shiver. Konata smiled and settled into the bed, holding the thin blanket open invitingly. Miyuki's blush started to return as she climbed into bed with Konata, laying sideways with her back to the small girl.

Konata grinned mischievously before snaking her arms around Miyuki's belly and squeezing, coaxing a surprised squeak from the meganekko. "There. Do you feel warmer yet?" Konata asked playfully.

"Y-yes, v-very much so." The red on her cheeks attested to that.

"What's the matter, Yuki-chan? You sound nervous."

"Well, um, it's just that... doing this was forbidden in the vault..."

"Doing what? We're not _doing_ anything. Yuki-chan, are you thinking something dirty? Are you a pervert?" Konata teased.

Miyuki's whole face turned dark red. "N-No! I just meant that this is a little... intimate."

Konata squeezed once again, but in a gentle, reassuring way. "Relax Yuki-chan, I'm just picking on you."

Miyuki's blush lightened, though she still felt awkward. After a few seconds of silence, Konata suddenly buried her face in Miyuki's thick pink hair. The movement startled Miyuki, but it was not entirely unpleasant. "You're so soft, Yuki-chan," Konata muttered.

"Hm? What was that?" Miyuki asked. But Konata had started to nod off and didn't answer. Instead, she nuzzled up closer to Miyuki and fell asleep, her long ahoge curled over Miyuki's head. Miyuki watched the strand of hair bob in and out of sight in time with Konata's breathing. She smiled before closing her own eyes. "Good night, Konata-san."

* * *

The small girl took a startled step back as the dark room suddenly burst into brilliant, blinding light. As she attempted to blink away her flash-blindness, she heard the sounds of noisemakers, clapping, and voices shouting out "Surprise!" One voice called out, "Stanley, you turned the lights on too fast! You blinded the poor kid!" The voices all joined together once more to say "Happy birthday!" as the girl's eyesight returned.

Miyuki Takara rubbed her eyes, looking a bit embarrassed as she smiled back at everyone clapping for her.

"Happy birthday, dear!" said Miyuki's mother, Yukari.

Miyuki gave a polite bow. "Thank you everyone! This is just wonderful!"

Yukari looked down at her daughter with an eyesmile. "I can't believe you're already ten. I'm so proud of you. If only your father-"

"Congratulations young lady," Vault 101's Overseer interrupted Yukari, "I don't have to tell you how special this day is, do I? Down here in Vault 101, when you turn ten, well, you're ready to take on your first official responsibilities." The Overseer retrieved a Pip-Boy from behind his back. "So here you are. As Overseer, I hereby present to you your very own Pip-Boy 3000!"

Miyuki took the device in her hand with a gracious nod and slid it over her left hand. The band contracted, clamping down onto her wrist. The sudden pressure on her skin caused Miyuki to flinch slightly.

The Overseer noticed her momentary discomfort. "Get used to it," he advised. "You'll be getting your first work assignment tomorrow," he continued before walking away, chuckling to himself.

"Enjoy your party dear," Yukari said as she sweatdropped at the Overseer's interruption, "You're only ten once, so have fun!"

Miyuki gave an affirmative bow and walked over to her friend Amata, the Overseer's daughter. "Happy birthday!" Amata said cheerfully, "We really surprised you, didn't we?"

Miyuki blushed slightly. "I'm afraid you did. I must say that I was really startled."

"Yeah, your mom was afraid you were on to us, but I told her not to worry. You're so easy to fool."

Miyuki's eyes turned to thin black ovals and she sweatdropped. _Is that really what she thinks of me?!_

"Anyway, I bet you can't guess what I got you for your birthday. Go on, guess!"

"Oh... um..." Miyuki put a finger to her chin and turned her eyes upward. "I really have no idea," she conceded with an eyesmile.

"Ha, I knew I'd surprise you! Since you love reading so much, I got you a Grognak the Barbarian comic book, issue fourteen!"

Miyuki hid her disappointment with a smile. She wasn't particularly interested in comics. "Oh... that's very... thoughtful."

"No problem. I found it in a box of my father's old things, believe it or not. Imagine him reading comic books. I guess everyone was ten once."

"I suppose so," Miyuki said as she took the comic.

"Well, I'd better let you get back to 'mingling' with your guests," Amata said, "We'll talk later, okay? Happy birthday."

"Thank you." Miyuki bowed before Amata walked away. Miyuki walked over to greet Old Lady Palmer, who was sitting in a nearby booth.

"Are you having a nice party?" Mrs. Palmer asked as Miyuki approached.

"Yes ma'am. Amata really did a great job setting this up."

"That's good to hear sweetie. Ten years old, my my my. Seems like only yesterday that your mother came... Goodness, listen to me ramble! You're waiting for your present aren't you?"

Miyuki smiled. "Yes, please!" she answered cheerfully.

"Such a nice polite young lady you are! Don't ever lose your gift of speaking your mind so directly. We could use more of that down here. Here you go, a nice sweetroll that I baked for you just this morning. And it's all for you. You're the birthday girl, no sharing required today!"

Miyuki beamed as Old Lady Palmer handed her the frosted sweetroll. "This looks delicious! Thank you Mrs. Palmer!" Miyuki said with a bow.

They were interrupted by the mechanized English butler voice of Andy, the Mr. Handy robot. "Attention everyone! It is time to cut the cake!" The robot lifted its saw-blade arm into the air.

"Andy, wait!" Amata called out, but it was too late. The spinning saw descended on the hapless cake, splattering it into a gooey mess. "Oh no..." Amata moaned.

"Oh dear," Andy said to himself. He turned to face his three robotic eyes at Miyuki. "I'm terribly sorry about the cake, madam."

Miyuki smiled, but she couldn't help sounding a little disappointed. "It's okay, Andy. You didn't mean it." She turned away from the counter and held up her sweetroll. _At least I still have my sweetroll. _

"Hey!"

Miyuki looked up and saw the bully, Butch, leering at her.

"I'm hungry, and that stupid robot destroyed the cake. Give me that sweetroll you got from Old Lady Palmer."

Miyuki looked nervous. "But... but Mrs. Palmer said I didn't have to share... since it's my birthday..."

"'Mrs. Palmer said I didn't have to share'" Butch mocked, "Who's talking about sharing, moron? I want the whole thing."

Miyuki frowned and could feel her eyes start to moisten.

"Now are you going to give me that sweetroll, or am I gonna have to give you a knuckle sandwich?" Butch got up from his seat, ready to fight.

Miyuki wanted to cry, but she tried to stand up for herself. "N-No! I'm sorry, but this is my sweetroll!" she cried.

Butch scowled. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that."

Butch jumped forward and hit Miyuki on the arm, making her drop her sweetroll. He shoved her back against the wall and trampled the sweetroll as he closed on her, fist raised. Miyuki closed her eyes and braced for the hit, but instead she heard the voice of Security Officer Gomez.

"Butch! What are you doing?" Miyuki opened her eyes to see Gomez standing over Butch, who dropped his fist back to his side. "Hitting a girl, and on her birthday for heaven's sakes!"

Butch grumbled and walked back to his booth. Officer Gomez turned to Miyuki. "I hope Butch didn't hurt you. Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"

Miyuki was on the verge of tears. "H-He tried to take my birthday present..." she managed to say.

"Why that little... I figured it was him that started it. He's been nothing but trouble since the day he was born. You let me handle this." Officer Gomez walked back to lecture Butch.

Miyuki had started to compose herself when she noticed her crushed sweetroll on the ground. She sunk down to her knees and started to cry. "No... my sweetroll..." she sobbed. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her mother Yukari kneeling beside her.

"Are you alright, Miyuki? Butch giving you a hard time again?"

Miyuki sniffed. "H-He stepped on the sweetroll Mrs. Palmer gave me..."

Yukari hugged her daughter. "I'm sorry Miyuki. I wish we didn't have to invite him, but there just aren't that many children your age in the Vault."

Miyuki had started to calm down. "I wouldn't mind if it was just Amata who came to my party... We could still have fun..."

Yukari sighed. "Don't worry dear, I'm sure that someday you'll learn to deal with bullies. I'm afraid the world is full of people much worse than Butch, so don't let him ruin your birthday."

The intercom on the wall across the room beeped.

"You know what, dear? I think I have something that will cheer you up. I'll be right back."

Yukari walked away, and Amata crouched down beside Miyuki. "What's Butch's problem anyway?" she started, "I can't believe he tried to start a fight at your own birthday party. What a jerk."

Miyuki had stopped crying now, but she kept staring at the sweetroll, looking sad. "He ruined my sweetroll..."

"God, he really is a butthead. Oh well. You can always count on Butch to make an ass of himself. Oh, your mom is coming back. I'll leave you alone."

Miyuki watched her walk away, looking a bit surprised at her language.

"Hey," Yukari called, getting Miyuki's attention, "That was Jonas on the intercom. He and I have been cooking up a little surprise present. He's waiting for you downstairs on the reactor level. Go ahead, I don't think anyone will mind if you slip out for a few minutes."

"Alright..." Miyuki stood up and wiped her eyes on her jumpsuit sleeve before exiting the diner room. On her way out she nearly bumped into Beatrice. "Oh, I'm sorry," Miyuki said, "I wasn't paying attention."

"Oh, that's alright. Happy birthday, dearie! My goodness, I hope I didn't miss the party!"

"Oh, you didn't. My Mother and Amata really threw me a great party."

"They sure did. My, my. Ten years old already. Why, I can remember helping your mom change your diapers... And now look at you! A great big grown up ten-year-old with your very own Pip-Boy. Since this was such a special occasion, do you know what I did? I wrote you a poem! Just for you. I hope you like it."

"Oh, thank you. That's very nice. Is that all?"

"Of course! Run along now, dearie, and have yourself a wonderful birthday!"

Miyuki bowed and continued down the hall. She decided to read the poem later and tucked it into her pocket with her comic book. She made her way to the stairs down to the reactor level. She hesitated, but she reminded herself that she wasn't a little kid anymore. She walked down the steps, eventually emerging in a dimly lit room with a large piece of machinery in the center.

"What are you doing down here, young lady? I thought kids weren't allowed down on the reactor level." The voice startled Miyuki, and she turned to face Jonas.

"Oh... But Mother told me it was okay to come down here..." she said, shifting uneasily.

"Hey, relax! I was just teasing. Listen, now that you're ten you don't have to take guff like that from grownups anymore. Got it? Hold on one more minute, I think your mom will want to give you the surprise herself." After a minute or so, Yukari came down the stairs to meet them.

"Are you ready for your surprise?" Yukari asked.

Miyuki tilted her head. "What kind of surprise?"

"The Overseer gave you your Pip-Boy, and you're old enough to do some work. So I figure you're old enough for this." Yukari pulled something from behind her back. "Here it is! Your own BB gun! It's a little old, but it should work perfectly." She handed the gun to Miyuki, who began to examine it curiously. "Jonas found it down here. It was in pretty rough shape. It took us a good three months to find the parts to get it working again."

"Oh my. You didn't need to go to so much trouble for me," Miyuki said.

"Oh, Miyuki. It's no trouble putting together a nice gift for your tenth birthday. So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?"

"Um, sure! But, we can't shoot a gun down here, can we?."

"We sure can't, unless we want the Overseer beating down our door. Jonas and I have found a place, though. It's over here." Yukari led Miyuki to a side door and unlocked it. They walked into a long storage corridor with crates lining the walls. Three targets had been set up at the end of the corridor. "Well, what do you think? You can come down here and shoot any time you want. Go ahead and try it out."

Miyuki nodded and approached the targets. She lifted the BB gun to her shoulder and took careful aim. Upon pulling the trigger, she was rewarded with the metallic _clink_ of a BB pellet hitting the target. She took her time setting up her shots, and she manged to hit the other targets on her first try as well.

"My, you seem to be quite the marksman!" Yukari said.

Miyuki smiled at her. "You know, I wasn't sure about getting a BB gun, but hitting the targets is actually kind of fun! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetie. Happy birthday."

Suddenly, Miyuki heard an insectile clicking sound. She turned around and saw a cockroach the size of a small dog skittering across the floor in front of the targets. She shrieked. "W-What is that?!" The mutant insect turned to face her and moved in her direction.

"That's a radroach, Miyuki! Take care of it with your BB gun!" Yukari shouted.

Miyuki took two panicked shots at the radroach, both missed. The roach was getting closer, and Yukari readied herself to step in if it got to close to Miyuki.

"Don't panic, Miyuki! You can do it!"

Miyuki took a breath and carefully aimed as she did before. She fired, hitting the roach's abdomen and causing it to stumble. She pumped the lever and fired again, hitting the roach square in he head this time. The roach dropped dead, its legs still twitching.

Miyuki gasped in excitement. "I got it! I really got it!" she exclaimed.

Yukari eyesmiled. "Good job, Miyuki! That's one less radroach to deal with. Let's get a picture together and capture the moment." She stood next to Miyuki and turned around. "Jonas, get a picture of me with the big game hunter!"

Jonas nodded and produced a camera. "Smile!" he said as he lifted the camera to his face.

Miyuki smiled wide as the flashbulb ignited, filling her eyes with a glaring light.

* * *

Miyuki blinked repeatedly, as she had all those years ago at the party, trying to force away the flash-blindness. Through the wall of white, she thought she saw a blur of dark blue hastily leaving the room, but she attributed it to her imagination.

_Odd,_ she thought, W_hy can I see the camera flash if I'm awake now?_

She soon dismissed it, though, and attempted to stretch her arms. As she started to move, however, she realized that Konata was still clinging to her and sleeping peacefully. It was still dark, so Miyuki settled back down and went back to sleep as well.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **A quick note on Konyuki fluff. If you do not like Konyuki/yuri/romance in general, then good news. This is not a love story. That sleeping together bit was put in because both Konata and myself like to tease, and the fluff immediately thereafter was put in because I want to build a kind of sisterly bond between the two. That's the way I see the Lucky Star girls, as sisters rather than lovers, and my writing will reflect that. That said, however, if you do like Konyuki/yuri/romance, then you're not entirely left out either. Little moments like the above will show up occasionally, and Konata, being Konata, will continue to tease from time to time. And if you _really_ like yuri, then you can look forward to *SPOILER* Hiyori's fantasies. Those should be fun to write. But that's still a ways off yet.

Now a note on story flow. As you likely noticed, this chapter does not have much action at all, unlike the previous one, and it is likely to stay this way for about, oh say... three, maybe four more chapters. If you like the action, then sorry, but as any Fallout player knows, there are times for shooting and times when you have to run around town talking to everyone. Fallout players also know that there is quite a bit to be done in Megaton, but have patience. The action will come back when it is time. I feel I should warn the Lucky Star fans, however, that staying in Megaton for the sake of plot and character development has one other side effect: no other Lucky Star characters are introduced here. Well, that's not entirely right, two others are introduced, but our heroines don't actually meet them. While this may cause some dismay, it's for the sake of proper plot pacing. Rest assured, every Lucky Star character has a distinct place in the world and a unique role in the plot, and another is introduced shortly after the girls leave Megaton. So in short, just have patience and let the story unfold.

One last thing. In case it wasn't clear, that part about the birthday party was Miyuki flashing back while dreaming, and it was part of the Fallout 3 tutorial.

There, I am done. If you find any problems or mistakes in my writing, then please let me know so I can improve.


	3. Life on the Outside

Hello everyone! Thank you for reading up to this chapter. I'm glad the first two impressed you enough to keep reading. And thanks to my regulars for reviewing, it's nice to have feedback. I'm especially pleased to see a comment on the writing quality, since that's something I worry about as a perfectionist. I'm glad you guys like it so far, 'cause I'm not about to stop. I've already thought ahead to the end of this story, believe it or not, and I'm particularly proud of the narrative I've put together in my head. It's just a matter of time before it gets to paper (or hard drive, as the case may be), so bear with me as I work to fill in the gaps. Here's the next step toward that final chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

"Well, let's get crackin'!" Konata shouted, waking Miyuki with a start. The meganekko blinked away her sleepiness and stared up into Konata's squared green eyes. Konata was already dressed in the adventurer's outfit she had worn before.

"K-Konata-san? What time is it?"

Konata grinned, catlike as always. "Time to get up, silly!" She ripped the blanket off the bed, exposing Miyuki to a wave of cold air. Miyuki sat up, her arms curled around herself for warmth. "Cold? Try some warm ups!" Konata exclaimed as she started doing stretches. "Get the blood pumping!"

Miyuki looked concerned. "Konata-san? Are you alright?"

Konata was now repeatedly punching the air. "Never better! I haven't slept like that in ages! I'm so full of energy it feels like I'm on Jet!"

Miyuki cocked her head. "Jet?"

"A chem. It's a really strong, uh... mineamphetameth? Amethminephet?"

"Methamphetamine?" Miyuki guessed.

"Yeah! That's the one. Makes you all hyper. Anyway, come on! Busy day ahead, lots to do!" Konata counted off on her fingers. "First I show you around town, then we report to Moira, sell yesterday's loot, go hunting... Oh! And rifle practice!" Konata pulled the hunting rifle from her bag on the floor and practically threw it at Miyuki.

Miyuki stared at the gun as though it were a ticking time bomb. "But, I can't shoot this! It belonged to that man!"

"Nonsense!" Konata shouted, "Out here, you keep what you kill, and I'll teach you how to be the killer, instead of the killee!" Konata grabbed Miyuki's arm, hauling her to her feet and dragging her towards the door.

"W-Wait, Konata-san! I'm not dressed yet!"

Konata stopped and looked at her. "Oh yeah. You need clothes... Oh! I have just the thing!" Konata dropped down on the floor and began to tunnel under her bed through all the junk and garbage. Miyuki sweatdropped as food wrappers and bits of scrap came flying out behind the blunette.

Glancing around the room, Miyuki noticed that Konata's shelves were kept much neater than the rest of the room. Curious, she approached the shelves to examine their contents. The bottom shelf contained a box of various mechanical components, along with a few broken guns and a rolled up sheet of paper. The next shelf up had a collection of knives and a pre-war Chinese pistol. The top shelf was empty, and the shelf below contained bottles of Nuka-Cola and candy. Finally, the middle shelf held Konata's prized collectibles. Sitting atop a small stack of Grognak the Barbarian comics were two books that appeared to have their covers on the wrong side. One was titled "Fullmetal Alchemist," and the other "Shugo Chara!" Sitting next to the stack was a holotape labeled "Endless 8." The end of the shelf held two Vault-Tec bobbleheads, as well as a figure of a girl with short brown hair wearing a black bunnysuit.

"My, you collect a lot, Konata-san."

Konata managed to flip over and poke her head out. "Huh? Oh, the shelves." She ducked back under the bed. "Yeah, that stuff on the middle shelf is really rare. Especially the Japanese stuff, like that Haruhi figure or the manga."

"Manga?"

"The backwards comic books. Believe it or not, that's probably the biggest collection of Japanese stuff in the Wasteland. Oh! Found it!" Konata emerged from under the bed and climbed to her feet. She was holding a fragile and torn paper bag. "I like to call this the charmer's outfit. It's too big for me, but you've got just the right size. And figure."

Konata dumped the bag's contents onto her bed. Miyuki frowned as she looked over the clothes. "Are you sure, Konata-san?"

"Of course! You'll look great in these! Here, put this on first..."

After a minute or so, Miyuki was wearing Konata's "charmer's outfit," and she felt more than a little uncomfortable. The outfit consisted of a light blue dress shirt with elbow length sleeves, whose V neck prominently displayed Miyuki's ample cleavage, along with a matching miniskirt. The outfit also featured blue boots over fishnet stockings.

"Are you sure, Konata-san?" she asked again, "This is very... revealing."

"Miyuki-chan, don't be afraid to flaunt what you've got. Why, I'll bet wearing that bumped your Charisma up by two points!"

Miyuki didn't quite understand, but she didn't have much time to wonder about it before Konata was pushing her out of the room.

"Alright, wait here while I put together some breakfast," Konata said when they reached the foot of the stairs. Miyuki sighed as Konata dashed to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Miyuki-san. Did you sleep well?" Sojiro asked as he emerged from his office. He paused, noticing her outfit, and couldn't help but grin. "My, you look very nice in those clothes."

Miyuki blushed. "Thank you. Konata-san insisted I wear them."

Sojiro chuckled to himself as he started wiping a glass with a rag. _That's my Konata!_

Miyuki glanced around the room and noticed that a patron was already seated in the corner. The man wore a surprisingly sharp pinstripe business suit and hat. He seemed to be eying her, as if he were making a decision. Miyuki didn't like the look, so she moved over towards the bar and out of his sight.

"Um, Izumi-san?"

Sojiro faced her. "Hm? What is it?"

"Who is that man in the corner?" Miyuki asked. Sojiro poked his head around the bar to look.

"Hm. Couldn't tell you," he answered, "He's not a resident, but he comes in here every day and just sits there until closing. Kinda strange I guess, but he pays for his drinks, so I can't complain."

"I see." Miyuki leaned over to glance at the man while Sojiro started fiddling with the radio on the counter. To her surprise, the man beckoned her over. She cautiously approached him. "Y-Yes? Can I help you?"

The man chuckled. "My, my. Just when I had all but given up hope. My dear girl, I am very happy to make your acquaintance."

His voice was cold, ruthless. It put Miyuki on edge. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"I am Mister Burke. And you, well, you are not a resident of this putrescent cesspool. That makes you a rather valuable individual."

Miyuki was growing suspicious. "And why is that, exactly?"

Mister Burke smiled. "Don't you see? You're a free agent! You have no ties here, no interest in this settlement's affairs. Megaton means nothing to you!" He leaned back in his chair. "I represent certain... interests who view this town, this 'Megaton' as a blight on a burgeoning urban landscape. If this settlement were to... go away, why, who would really care? Certainly not you, or I..."

Miyuki wasn't quite sure how to interpret this. "What exactly are you saying?"

"The undetonated atomic bomb for which this town is named is still very much alive. All it needs is a little... motivation. I have in my possession a Fusion Pulse Charge, constructed for a singular purpose, the detonation of that bomb. Simply rig the device to the bomb, and it will be detonated, by you, at a secure location. You will be payed handsomely. Easy money, my friend."

Miyuki could scarcely believe her ears. She slowly backed away from the man, shocked nearly speechless. "I-I'm sorry, but I can't help you," she managed to say.

Burke sighed. "It seems I have misjudged you. Very well. I'll simply find someone with more entrepreneurial spirit. But, you'd do best to keep this to yourself. I recommend leaving town as soon as possible. Consider that your only warning. Good day."

Just then, Konata came up behind Miyuki, grabbing her arm. "There you are Yuki-chan!" She noticed Burke glaring at her and stopped. She raised her hand in greeting, her eyes squinted. "Yo..."

Burke cocked an eyebrow in irritation.

"...Right. Come on, Miyuki." Konata tugged her away, but Miyuki glanced back at Burke. He rose a finger to his lips. _Keep quiet._ Then Miyuki was pulled out into the early morning air.

* * *

Despite the early hour, many of the Megaton residents were already out and about, most preparing for the day's work. Konata gave Miyuki the grand tour, showing her the different establishments and introducing her to anyone around. Konata had made skewered iguana bits for breakfast, and they ate as they walked. They stopped in the bomb's plaza, where Konata had introduced Miyuki to Jenny Stahl, one of the owners of the Brass Lantern restaurant.

"Now, where haven't we been yet?" Konata muttered as she chewed the last bit of meat from her skewer. "I know I'm forgetting someplace..." She glanced up the sides of the crater, scanning each building until she found the right one. "Ah! There it is! Come on, Miyuki, one last place before we go see Moira."

Konata started to lead the way toward the ramp next to Doc Church's clinic. Miyuki took a worried look at the bomb as they passed. "Konata-san, are you certain that the bomb is safe?"

Konata waved her hand. "Of course, of course. Think about it, it's been sitting there for just about two hundred years now. If it was gonna blow, I think it would've by now."

"That's true, but suppose that it's merely inactive. Couldn't someone set it off?"

Konata glanced at her. "Where would you get an idea like that? I don't see why anyone would want to, and no one in town has the know-how to do it anyway. Besides, I still say it's dead. I don't think anyone could set it off, even if they knew how."

Somehow, that didn't satisfy Miyuki. She couldn't help feeling that Mister Burke was right, and she had no doubt that he would succeed in his quest, given enough time. _But how can I stop him?,_ she wondered, _I have no idea what he's capable of..._

She pushed her thoughts aside as they climbed the last ramp to their destination. "This is the water processing plant," Konata explained. "I'll introduce you to Walter. He keeps this place running." They entered the plant, revealing a twisted mess of pipes running between various tanks and pieces of machinery. Miyuki noted that much of it seemed ready to fall apart.

"Hey, Walter!" Konata said as they approached an older man in coveralls. He was tightening one of the pipes with a wrench.

"Yeah, what is it, Konata?" he answered, though he sounded irritated.

Konata gestured at Miyuki. "I was just showing this newcomer around town and thought I'd introduce you."

Walter sighed. "Listen, Konata, I just started the plant for the day and she's already giving me trouble. I don't exactly have time for chit-chat."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Miyuki said, "Is there any way I can help?"

Walter paused and eyed her. "Maybe you can, girlie, if you can work a wrench."

Miyuki was more familiar with computers and medicine, but she had done some minor maintenance work in the Vault on occasion. "Alright, what did you need help with?"

"Well, a bunch of leaks have been springing up in the pipes around town. I spend so much time in the plant that I can't go and fix them. The only break I get is when I shut the plant down for the night, and I can't find the leaks if the water isn't running. If you could hunt down those leaks and fix them, then it would make my life a lot easier."

"I think I can do that. I'd be happy to help!"

"Great! Based on the drop in water pressure, I'd say there are three leaks scattered around town." At that moment, a piece of machinery started clattering, and Walter groaned before going to fix it. "You can borrow my spare toolbox if you need to," he continued. "Good luck."

"Well, looks like you already found some work," Konata said as Miyuki fetched the toolbox.

Miyuki smiled. "It just feels good to help out."

Konata nodded. "Right then, now we'll go see Moira, and then I'll let you get to those pipes." They left the plant and headed for The Craterside Supply, just a short walk away. Inside, the shop was a mess, with counters and shelves full of random junk. Moira Brown looked up from sweeping as they came in. She wore a set of coveralls and her hair was tied behind her head.

"Hey there, Konata!" the bubbly red head greeted, "Has my favorite research assistant fiddled with any useful pre-war tech lately?"

Konata folded her arms. "Well, your processor widget worked. I was able to wake up the robots."

Moira gasped, looking excited. "Wow! That's great!"

"Yeah, except I couldn't control them and they tried to killed me."

Moira suddenly deflated, looking like a child who had been denied a piece of candy. "Oh... That's too bad. I suppose activating ancient technology is a step in the right direction... But maybe uncontrolled tech is worse then dormant tech. Anyway, tell me exactly what happened."

"Well," Konata started, "First I had to find my way through the factory floor and the offices, sneaking past lots of mole rats and radroaches, mind you. When I found the mainframe, I plugged in the widget like you said, and the next thing I know, I'm getting shot at with lasers! Since it's kinda hard to stab a couple dozen robots, I had to mad-dash back through the whole building, dodging all the pests I had sneaked past before."

Moira barely seemed to be listening. "You know, it's surprising how sturdy and easy-to-use a lot of the junked tech is. Guess they made it sturdy and simple back then," she mused. "Anyway, I guess that widget proves that anything is possible if you have the right tool for the job. Here, take these pulse grenades for payment; now you can fight any robots you find, instead of running away!"

Moira gave Konata several of the small, cylindrical devices. Konata examined one of the grenades, then nodded in approval.

Moira suddenly glanced at Miyuki, as if she hadn't even noticed her before. "Hey, you must be that stray from the Vault! I haven't seen one of you for years!"

Moira seemed to have forgotten that Konata was even there._ She must be very single-minded,_ Miyuki thought.

_"_Good to meet you!" Moira continued, "I'm Moira Brown. I run Craterside Supply, but what I really do is mostly tinkering and research."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Moira," Miyuki said with a bow.

"Uh, Moira," Konata interrupted, "I've got some stuff to sell..."

Moira didn't notice her. "If you ever need any weapons or armor, or regular old junk, then you can probably find it here."

"Hey Moira! I've got guns to sell!" Konata shouted.

Moira continued focusing on Miyuki. "Or if you've got anything you don't want anymore, I'd be happy to buy it off you!"

"Um, I believe Konata-san would like to sell you something," Miyuki said with a sweatdrop.

Moira finally faced Konata. "Is that so? Why didn't you speak up, Konata?"

Konata sighed, but didn't say anything. She was used to Moira being airheaded. Instead, she pulled the two pistols and the assault rifle out from her bag and set them on the counter. Moira began to examine the guns. "Oh, and I was wondering if you could fix this." Konata set the bent sword on the counter as well.

Moira held her chin. "Hm... tell you what, Konata. These guns are in rough shape, but since you've been such a helpful research assistant, I'll take them plus twenty caps as payment for the repairs."

Konata frowned. It was actually a good deal, considering how badly broken the sword was, but Konata never liked giving up caps.

"Alright, twenty caps then," she said as she handed over the money. Miyuki smiled in amusement; she had been told of the bottle caps' function as money by Sojiro, but she still thought it was a little funny.

"Okay then," Moira said, "Just drop by tomorrow and I'll have this sword fixed up good as new! Oh, and I'll also give you your next research assignment."

"Sounds good. See ya!" Konata said as she left the shop. Miyuki said "Goodbye," and followed.

"Well," Konata said as she started twirling her knife, "Guess I'll be hunting by myself now. Good luck fixing those pipes."

"Thank you, and to you as well, Konata-san."

Konata walked down the ramp on her way to the front gate, leaving Miyuki to begin searching for the leaking pipes.

* * *

After about a half hour, Konata decided to return to town. Not many critters out today. She passed through the gate, dragging the corpses of a mole rat and a giant ant behind her. As she descended the hill, she spotted Miyuki, crouched over a nearby pipe, looking frustrated.

"Ah, so you managed to track down one of the leaks," Konata said.

"Yes," Miyuki replied, "There is also one near the Common House. Unfortunately, I can't seem to fix them. These pipes are different from I'm used to."

"Hm. I had a feeling this might happen. You seem more book-smart than wrench-savvy. Lucky for you, I've got this!" Konata pulled a small yellow tin from her pocket. She removed a bright red pill from the tin and showed it to Miyuki. "Do you know what this is?"

Miyuki's eyes brightened the way they always did when she gave an encyclopedic explanation. "That's a Mentat. It's a pre-war chem manufactured by Med-Tek. Consuming it significantly improves focus, memory, and problem solving functions in the brain, as well as strengthening neural pathways between the sensory organs and the brain, increasing perception."

"See? Book-smart. So I don't need to tell you that this little baby will give you the brain boost you need to fix these pipes."

Miyuki looked hesitant. "Oh, I've never taken a chem before. Are you sure it's necessary? What if I develop an addiction?"

Konata chuckled. "Yuki-chan, taking this will save you a whole lot of time and effort, and I've never seen anyone get addicted to Mentats. Jet, Psycho, and Buffout, definitely, but never Mentats."

"Alright," Miyuki replied as she tentatively took the pill. She examined it in her hand before swallowing it. After about a minute, Miyuki began to feel her senses improving; colors brightened, lines sharpened, distant sounds amplified, smells strengthened.

"My," Miyuki murmured as she gazed around, taking in the enhanced sensations, "The perceptual increase is incredible; and it's accompanied by such a euphoric rush!"

Konata nodded in satisfaction. "Now take another look at that pipe," she said, pointing, "I'll bet you'll figure it out with a single glance!"

Miyuki looked down at the pipe, and sure enough, the answer seemed to pop into her head almost from memory; it was as if she had suddenly accumulated years of plumbing experience. She reached for the tools and set to work.

* * *

"Konata-san, I'm having second thoughts about this..."

Miyuki was now standing on the edge of the platform supporting the Craterside Supply some two stories off the ground. She was on the wrong side of the railing, which she clung to for life.

She was now attempting to repair the third pipe, but it was snaked along the roof of the Church of Atom, a small jump from where she was currently standing. However, Miyuki's enhanced eyes were now picking out every jagged edge and uneven surface that she could trip over and off the roof.

"Nonsense! You can make that!" Konata gave Miyuki an "encouraging" slap on the back; Miyuki squeaked with fear.

The meganekko took a deep breath and readied herself to jump. _It's a small jump. Just land on even ground and you'll be fine_. She tensed her muscles before springing forward off the platform. Unfortunately, Miyuki was a bit less than graceful. She landed on a dent in the roof, causing her to stumble backwards, but she managed to grab hold of a hanging pipe and steady herself.

"Good save!" Konata called. "Here, think fast!"

Konata flung the toolbox over the railing suddenly, and Miyuki banged her head on the pipe as she stumbled to catch it. She rubbed her head as she crouched beside the leaking pipe, but a headache started to form, a bit stronger than the impact would've suggested. Miyuki tried to ignore it as she worked on the pipe, but it remained constant.

After several minutes, she managed to halt the leak. She sighed with relief and started to stand up, but the headache suddenly intensified. She held her head, keeping one hand on the pipe for balance.

"Hey, you alright?" Konata called down.

Miyuki looked up at Konata. "I think something is wrong," she muttered.

As the pain steadily built, she could see Konata's mouth moving, but her ears had started ringing. Her eyes soon blurred, and she stumbled and swayed. The migraine worsened, and then Miyuki felt the air rushing past her as she plummeted off the rooftop.

* * *

"Ah, good morning, Miyuki. It's nice to see you, but shouldn't you be on your way to class?"

Sixteen year old Miyuki Takara had come to visit her mother in her office. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about something. Today we're taking our G.O.A.T. exam in class, and I'm a little nervous. Mr. Brotch said we didn't have to study for it, but I was wondering if you had any last minute advice for me?"

Yukari smiled at her daughter. "Well, the Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test helps to figure out what sort of job you'll have when you get older. I'm sure you've heard the Overseer's speech before: 'We're born in the Vault. We die in the Vault. Each is tested to determine their abilities, that they may work for the betterment of all Vault residents.'"

"I see." Miyuki pondered momentarily. "Is that true, Mother? Was everyone born in the Vault? And do we have to die here? Can't we ever leave?"

Yukari frowned. "That's not quite how it works, Miyuki. And it won't do to go around asking questions like that. Especially not around the Overseer."

Miyuki looked down at her feet. "I understand."

Yukari eyed her daughter for a moment. "Miyuki, there's something I want to tell you. I know the Vault isn't perfect, but it is your home. You're safe here. Stay on the Overseer's good side and you always will be. You need to appreciate all you have, because what's on the outside, well, that's not the life I want for you."

Miyuki didn't completely understand what her mother was getting at, but she nodded.

Yukari smiled. "Now then, it's time for you to get to class and take your test. It's really not so bad, but just make sure you take it seriously! I don't want you to become a garbage burner!"

Miyuki nodded. "I'll try my best!"

"That's the spirit! Good luck, sweetie."

Miyuki left the office and made her way toward the classroom. As she approached an intersection, she heard her friend Amata down the hall to her left.

"Get out of my way, you stupid Tunnel Snakes!"

Miyuki looked down the hall and saw Butch, Wally, and Paul – the Tunnel Snakes – blocking Amata's path. Miyuki frowned; the Tunnel Snakes were notorious, and she felt obligated to help her friend. However, she wasn't sure what she could do to help. There was almost no way a confrontation could end peacefully. She started to walk away to find help, but something stopped her. Her mother had once said that she must learn to deal with bullies. Miyuki decided to stand by her friend and confront Butch.

She started down the hall, and as she got closer, she could hear what they were saying.

"I can show you a real tunnel snake, Amata." Butch said, grinning suggestively.

"God, Butch!" Amata yelled, "Why don't you just leave me alone!"

"Show it to her, Butch!" Wally said with a chuckle.

"Hey!" Miyuki called out. The three turned to look at her. Miyuki suddenly felt nervous, but she kept speaking. "What's going on here?"

Butch scowled. "None of your business, kid. Get out of here before you get hurt. You mess with the Tunnel Snakes, you're asking for it. Got me?"

Miyuki was intimidated, but she refused to back down. "Y-You leave her alone, or you'll answer to me!"

Butch raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Me, answer to you? That's brave talk from the Vault's biggest nerd. Tell you what, spaz, you walk away right now, and we won't send you back to mommy with broken bones for her to fix."

Miyuki put on a determined face. "No, Butch. I... I'll fight you if I have to."

Butch smirked and cracked his knuckles. "You never learn, do you spaz?"

Butch threw a punch, but Miyuki ducked and threw a feeble counter. Butch didn't even flinch. Instead, he grabbed the collar of her jumpsuit and slammed her against the wall. Miyuki's eyes bulged as her feet left the floor. Butch laughed.

"Is that really all you've got? I didn't even break a sweat!"

"Big mistake," Paul said, laughing. "Tunnel Snakes rule!"

"Leave her alone!"

Amata lunged forward to strike Butch, but Wally was faster. He rammed into Amata and pinned her to the wall beside Miyuki with his elbow.

Butch laughed again. "Pathetic! You two really thought you could fight us? This is hilarious!"

Wally grinned. "Hey, Butch, how about we drag these two into the storeroom, have ourselves a good time?"

Paul looked surprised. "What? Wally, you sure that's a good idea?"

"Shut up, Paul," Butch snapped, "That idea doesn't sound half bad. There's a lot we could do with girls like these."

Miyuki blushed, her eyes wide; Amata tried to scream for help, but Wally covered her mouth and applied pressure to her throat.

Miyuki was too scared to struggle; she just stared back as Butch leered at her. It wouldn't take long for him to make up his mind; she had to say something, fast.

"Y-You really don't want to do that," she stuttered out.

Butch raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why not?"

Miyuki tried to come up with an answer. "B-Because! Class will have started by now, and they'll send someone to find you!"

Butch laughed. "Try again, kid! The Tunnel Snakes skip class all the time! They ain't gonna miss us."

Miyuki started sweating, and her heart pounded as she tried to figure out how to convince him.

"Well..." Paul spoke up, "We do have our G.O.A.T. exam today. We'll get in trouble if we miss it."

Miyuki jumped at this opportunity. "Th-That's right! The exams go straight to the Overseer, and if he sees that we all missed them, he'll send security officers to investigate, and when they find out what happened, your gang is done for!" Missed tests weren't worth a security investigation, but Miyuki was desperate; she hoped none of them were smart enough to call her bluff.

"You know, maybe she's right, Butch. Maybe we should just go to class," Paul said.

Butch considered for a moment. "...Fine," he said, "These bitches ain't worth it anyway." He released Miyuki, letting her drop back to the floor. "Come on Tunnel Snakes, we're leaving." Wally scowled, but he released Amata and followed Butch.

Amata rubbed her neck. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm alright. Are you?"

"Yeah." They started to walk toward the classroom. "I'm sorry you got mixed up in that. Those stupid Tunnel Snake assholes. They think they're so tough, with their 'gang.' All they ever do is hang around and cause trouble. They've got it in for me because my father is the Overseer. Like that's my fault!"

Miyuki let Amata rant; she tended to get vocal when she was upset.

"Anyway, thanks for helping me. You've always been a good friend."

"I'm happy to help," Miyuki said, "Though I could've helped more if I was stronger..."

"Well, you managed to talk them out of it. That's pretty impressive."

"I suppose..."

They reached the classroom and found that everyone else was seated. Mr. Brotch was standing by the door, impatiently crossing his arms. "Well, I wouldn't have expected you two to be the last ones to the classroom. This better not be the start of a trend."

Miyuki bowed in apology. "I'm deeply sorry, Mr Brotch. I won't let it happen again."

"Yeah," Amata agreed, "This should be a one time thing."

Mr. Brotch nodded. "Very well. You girls aren't in trouble, since you're normally so well behaved, but don't make a habit of it. Butch and his friends are bad enough. Now, unless you have something else you want to discuss, take a seat and prepare for the 2274 edition of the G.O.A.T."

Miyuki smiled. "Don't worry Mr. Brotch! I'll do my best to ace it!"

"I'm sure you will," Mr Botch said, "Especially since it's multiple choice with no wrong answers."

Mr. Brotch walked to the front of the class and the girls took their seats. "Well, now that everyone's managed to find the classroom, we can finally get started." Mr Brotch handed out the tests. "No talking, and keep your eyes to yourselves."

Butch snickered from the back of the classroom.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, Mr. DeLoria."

"Sure thing, Mr. Brotch."

Mr. Brotch shook his head as he sat at his desk. "Unless anyone else has an insightful comment comment, you can all get started."

Miyuki took out her pencil and read the first question:

"You are approached by a frenzied vault scientist, who yells, 'I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!' What's your response?"

She read over the answer choices:

Choice A: "'But doctor, wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity?'"

Choice B: "'Yeah? Up yours too, buddy!'"

Choice C: "Say nothing, but grab a nearby pipe and hit the scientist in the head to knock him out. For all you knew, he was planning to blow up the vault."

Choice D: "Say nothing, but slip away before the scientist can continue his rant."

Miyuki giggled quietly. _This test will be easy!_ she thought as she circled choice A.

* * *

"Pencils down, people," Mr. Brotch called out once the test was over. "That's it. The infamous G.O.A.T. I'm sure most of you didn't find it so bad. Others, well, there are always openings in the maintenance department. Don't forget to hand in your tests before you leave. You don't want to know what happens to people who 'fail' the G.O.A.T. You can have the rest of the day off, to celebrate or to pray, as the situation warrants."

The class formed a line leading to Mr. Brotch's desk. Miyuki stood at the back, clutching her finished G.O.A.T. Some of the questions had turned out to be a little strange, and she was starting to feel nervous about her results.

Amata had been the first to get her results; she was to be assigned a supervisory position. It was now Butch's turn.

"Yo, Teach. I'm done," he said as he handed over the test.

"Ah, Butch," Mr. Brotch said, sounding a little smug, "Can I admit that I've been waiting for this for a long, long time? Allow me to savor the moment. Now then, let's see..." Mr. Brotch compared the test to the results sheet. "Hm... Really? Interesting... You've surprised me Butch. Hairdresser! Who would've thought?"

Butch looked shocked. "You're so full of it! That isn't true!"

"Sorry Butch, but the G.O.A.T. never lies."

Butch grumbled as he walked away.

Miyuki grew more nervous. _What if I get a job I don't like too? _Soon it was her turn to go up. She swallowed nervously and handed over her test.

"Here you are, Mr. Brotch. I hope I did okay..."

"Don't worry, Miyuki. I'm sure you did just fine." He compared the test to the results sheet. "Oh," he started, confused, "Hm, that was... unexpected."

Miyuki grew worried. "What? What did I get?"

Mr. Brotch gave a forced smile. "Well, it's nice to know I can still be surprised. According to this, you're in line to be trained as our next laundry cannon operator. First time for everything indeed."

"Oh, I... I see." Miyuki's disappointment was very obvious.

Mr. Brotch sighed. "Alright, Miyuki. You're my best student, so I'll let you in on a little secret. The whole test is a joke. If you don't like your results, just let me know. I can fill out the test so it'll come out however you want."

Miyuki perked up. "Really? You can?"

"Sure thing. Just tell me what you would like to do."

"Well, I love using the computers and helping out my mother in the clinic."

Mr. Brotch smiled. "Alright then, medical assistant it is. It definitely suits you better."

Miyuki smiled wide. "Thank you, Mr. Brotch! You're the best teacher ever!"

"Well, I do my best. Enjoy the rest of your day, Miyuki."

Miyuki nodded and bowed before leaving the classroom. As she entered the hall, the lights seemed to intensify, overwhelming her and pulling her back from her memories.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And there you have it. I'd like to point out a couple things regarding game mechanics. I've mentioned an "adventurer's outfit," a "settler's outfit," and a "charmer's outfit" thus far. These are the names of the clothing items from Fallout 3, in case you were wondering. It's helpful for me to give each character a specific set of clothing from Fallout; not only does it keep things simple in my head, but it also allows me to describe each outfit once, and then refer to it by name later.

You may have noticed Konata knocking on the fourth wall when she mentions charisma points. Konata's – and other character's – awareness of these kinds of player stats is not only a method of incorporating them into the narrative, but it also serves as a manifestation of Konata's gaming prowess and otaku-ness. Later on, I'll also utilize more subtle methods of referencing the game stats. Fallout fans might enjoy picking them out, but I'll probably explain some of them in my notes for the curious Lucky Star fans.

I particularly like how this story has come out so far, but one thing I'm not completely happy with is Yukari. I have to admit that most of her lines are twisted up versions of James' in-game dialog. I feel as though she may be more out-of-character then I'm comfortable with. This may be because her limited anime screen-time has limited my grasp of her character, or it may be that thus far her role in the plot has been too restricting. In any case, feedback on this, or any other flaws, would be greatly appreciated.

I suppose that's all I had to say, so thank you once again for reading, and please look forward to the next chapter. And don't forget about my profile's weekly progress update!


	4. The Power of Atom

Finally! It's out! I finally finished this chapter! I swore to myself that I would finish it this week, and I did! Whew, now that that's out of the way, I want to say that I'm really sorry it took so long. I just got off my lazy ass and got a full time job, so time has been a little scarce, but I made time for this.

Moving on, I'm pleased to see a steady, if small, stream of hits to my profile and this story. It's nice to know you guys are still keeping your eyes on this. Special thanks to ArmorBlade for reviewing, and giving compliments at that. It really means a lot man, considering you inspired this. You also seem to have a knack for foreshadowing, although I'd like to say that there are a few curve balls in this chapter that no one saw coming. Probably. I'll let you guys get to it.

* * *

When Miyuki Takara regained consciousness, she found herself staring up at an uncomfortably bright light bulb dangling from the ceiling; she groaned and rubbed her eyes. When she looked again, she saw a bright blue blur hovering over her.

"Miyuki? Are you okay?" Konata asked.

"Konata?" Konata's face blurred in and out of focus, and her voice barely registered over the faint ringing in Miyuki's ears. "Your face looks funny!" Miyuki suddenly blurted out, grinning. Konata blinked in surprise.

"Wha- Ouch!" Konata pulled away as Miyuki grabbed and yanked on her curled ahoge.

"No fair! Give it back!" Miyuki wailed as she sat up, still reaching her hand out and making grabbing motions.

Konata made sure to keep her distance. "What's gotten into you, Miyuki?" she asked as she rubbed her scalp beneath her ahoge.

The door leading out of the recovery room opened, and Doc Church stepped inside. "Konata, keep it down- Oh. She's awake."

"Yeah, and she just tried to pull my hair out!" Konata exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," Miyuki said, looking guilty, "I just wanted to taste it..."

Konata gaped at her, but Doc Church simply held his chin in thought. "Okay," he said, "Tell me how many fingers I'm holding up." He held his hand out to Miyuki, holding up three fingers.

Miyuki tilted her head. "What did you say?"

Church raised his voice. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he repeated.

"Oh! That's easy!" Miyuki stared intently at his hand, but she soon looked confused. She grabbed his hand and pulled it closer to her face, still eying it intensely. "Wait a minute," she muttered, before suddenly licking his hand. "These aren't fingers! They're toes!" she exclaimed.

Doc Church wiped his hand on his shirt, grumbling to himself. He then took Miyuki's arm and sharply pinched it. Miyuki stared at the spot, her eyes wide with excitement, like she was waiting for something to happen. After a few seconds, however, she yelped and pulled her arm back.

"That was mean!" she whined.

Doc Church turned his attention to Konata, who looked somewhat dumbstruck. "Well," he started, "She appears to be suffering from severely impaired hearing, eyesight, reaction to touch, and mental functioning. Let me ask you something, Konata: did you give her any chems?"

"Well, I gave her a Mentat, but that can't have anything to do with it... could it?"

Doc Church nodded. "I'm afraid so. Your friend must have a very low chem tolerance, since she is, in fact, suffering from Mentat withdrawal. That blackout she experienced on the roof must have resulted from the shock of suddenly introducing chems to her system." Konata glanced at Miyuki, who was dazedly looking back and forth, as if tracking some invisible insect.

"Well, how do we fix her?" Konata asked worriedly.

Doc Church held his chin. "Well, I'd say that giving her another Mentat would snap her out of it. She'd probably get a high like usual and then go back to normal for a while. But she'll need to keep taking them, or she'll start acting like this again. In any case, she's not hurt, so there's nothing I can do for her now." He turned to Miyuki and raised his voice. "Hey, can you stand?"

Miyuki suddenly snapped her attention to him and laughed. "Of course, silly!" She jumped out of bed and began to stagger; Konata had to catch her and hold her up. "Whoops! My legs feel funny!"

Doc Church shook his head. "Her legs are probably numb, at least partially."

"You mean I have to help her walk like this?" Konata groaned.

"'Fraid so. I'd find some Mentats soon if I were you. And keep her away from other chems; there's no telling how badly she'll react to them if she's developed a Mentat dependency."

"Yeah, good call," Konata muttered as she helped Miyuki towards the door. "Thanks!"

She left the clinic and glanced up at the sky; it was starting to get dark now. "Come on, Miyuki," she said as she began to help the meganekko along.

"Where are we going, Kona-chan?" Miyuki asked as she leaned on Konata.

"To get some candy," Konata replied.

"Yay! I like candy!"

* * *

The girl quickly walked down the wide hallway, prompting armored troops to stop and salute as she passed. She couldn't help but smile as they did. Despite her small size and young age of fifteen, Lieutenant Akira Kogami was notorious as an officer of the Enclave Military. Her skills as a fighter had quickly brought her up through the common ranks, earning her the respect, if not spite, of her superiors.

Akira marched up the stairs to the mess hall. She scanned the room as she entered, and she quickly identified Colonel Autumn sitting at a table in the corner. A scowl quickly formed on her face. _Hmph. Colonel Autumn, that smug bastard. What on earth could he want? _She quickly put on a cheerful face, her golden eyes bright and shining. She straightened the officer's cap on her short pink hair as she approached the table.

"Lieutenant Akira Kogami reporting, sir!" she said as she snapped off an enthusiastic salute, causing her too-long sleeve to whip around.

Autumn turned to face her. "At ease, Lieutenant. I'm glad you could meet me here. Have a seat."

His thick southwestern accent irritated Akira. "Yes sir!" she replied cheerfully before sitting across from him.

"Now, I'm not one for pleasantries, Lieutenant, so I'm going to get straight to the point. I've called you here on behalf of President Eden himself to give you an important assignment." Akira blinked in surprise, but quickly recovered her cheerful expression.

"Oh! How exciting!" _An assignment from President Eden? This might be worth my time after all._

Autumn continued. "We lost contact with one of our Eyebots yesterday. Before we did, however, it provided us with visuals of this individual." Autumn retrieved a photograph from his pocket and handed it to Akira. She examined the photo with false interest. The person pictured was a teenage girl with thick pink hair, round purple eyes, a blue jumpsuit, and glasses.

"The President has ordered the apprehension of this individual so that she may be questioned." Autumn leaned forward, looking serious. "This is a covert operation, Kogami. The President does not want to make our presence known in the Wasteland yet. You are to use the utmost discretion in fulfilling this mission."

"I understand, sir! I'll do my best!"

Autumn nodded. "Very good, Lieutenant. Report to the barracks at twenty-hundred hours; your support group will be waiting with mission details and equipment. Dismissed."

Akira stood and left the mess hall. _A secret mission,huh? This girl must be some kind of VIP. This is my chance to show them all just what I'm capable of!

* * *

_Konata glanced around the empty water plant. The pumps and machinery were quiet; Walter had shut them down for the night and was likely at her father's saloon for a drink. Konata's trademark smile crept onto her face. "Wait here, Miyuki. I'll be right back..."

"Okay!" Konata let go of Miyuki; she staggered, but she appeared able to stand.

Konata quietly approached the door to the back room and put her hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, she flung the door open and shouted "Hi, Leo!"

Leo Stahl dropped his Jet to the floor. "I'm not taking any chems!" he shouted as he spun around in his chair. "Oh, it's just you," he said when he saw her leaning on the door frame. "Damn it, Konata! Do you have to startle me like that? I nearly swallowed my inhaler!"

Konata snickered. "Of course I do. You know how much I like sneaking up on people. Anyway, I'm here to buy some chems. I know you keep a stash in here."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know that? You break into it before or something?"

Konata grinned. "How'd you guess?"

Leo shook his head. "Fine, what's your fix? Jet? Psycho? Maybe a little Med-X?"

"Mentats."

"Mentats? Why would you need Mentats? Trying to hack someone's computer again?"

Konata chuckled. "Not this time. I've got a friend here who needs them." Konata gestured out the door, and Leo leaned back in his chair to see. Miyuki was gazing back and forth at nothing, a big open-mouthed grin on her face. "Poor girl's got a Mentat addiction." Konata continued.

"Mentat addiction? You sure about that?"

Konata nodded. "Doc Church said so."

Leo shook his head. "Alright, I've got a few tins. How many do you want?"

"Just one should do it."

At that moment, a loud clang brought Konata's attention back out to Miyuki, whose head was rebounding off a low hanging pipe. "Ouchies..." she mumbled after falling to the floor.

"On second thought, make that two tins."

* * *

Akira marched into the equipment room, surveying the group of soldiers that were to accompany her. An uninteresting bunch; two faceless goons in power armor, a despised fellow officer whose name she didn't remember, and... _Huh? Who's this? _The last member of her squad wore a uniform rather than armor, but he was clearly _not_ an officer. In fact, his rank insignia identified him as a private.

She put on her cute face and skipped over to the group. "Hi there, everyone! Let's all start with a sound-off to introduce ourselves!" She vigorously saluted, purposefully whipping her sleeve at one of the troopers. "Lieutenant Akira Kogami, reporting! Now you guys!"

The trooper next to her sounded off. "Corporal Jacob Dixon, reporting."

"Private First Class Jeffrey Callow, reporting," the second trooper said.

The officer sighed before saying "Sergeant James Platner, reporting."

Akira turned to the last person, tilting her head. The man went rigid, and gave a tense salute. "Private Minoru Shiraishi, reporting!" He kept his eyes squinted shut, and had very short spiked brown hair.

"Minoru Shiraishi?" She gave Platner a questioning look.

"He's been assigned to this mission as your partner. Colonel Autumn said that you could help him get some experience in the field."

Akira's eye twitched, dropping her facade for a split second. _That bastard wants me to babysit some recruit?! Just you wait, Autumn, I'll get you for this someday! _

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" She turned to her new partner. "I'll show you everything there is to know about fieldwork, just you watch!"

Minoru bowed deeply. "Thank you, Akira-sama! It will be an honor to work alongside such a military prodigy!"

_Well,_ Akira thought, _at least he knows how to grovel..._ "Oh, you're making Akira blush!" she said, putting her hands to her rosy cheeks.

"Ahem," Platner interrupted, "You'll find the rest of the details in your mission briefing." He held out a folder, which she took with feigned interest. "If there's nothing else, we should load our equipment onto the Vertibird and head out. We can only fly at night."

Akira looked at the rectangular crate on the table. "This is all our equipment?" she asked.

"Yes, you'll find an equipment list in the mission briefing."

She ignored him and opened the crate. Inside were several days worth of food and water, two settler's outfits for disguises, two duffel bags, two laser rifles, four laser pistols, an assault rifle, and plenty of ammunition.

"Aw, no plasma weapons?" she pouted.

"With respect, ma'am, the Colonel wants to keep this mission low key. We're only bringing what the wastelanders are familiar with; we'll draw less attention that way."

_Cheap bastard. _"Well, that's okay! We won't need them anyway!" She hopped up and sat on the crate. "Come on, boys! Let's load up! We're burning moonlight!" The two troopers begrudgingly lifted up the crate and headed for the launch silo.

* * *

"Come on, Miyuki, we're almost home." Konata had practically carried Miyuki back to the saloon after pulling her up off the floor. They finally reached the platform, and Konata leaned Miyuki against the wall. Konata took a moment to catch her breath. "You know, you get kinda heavy after a while."

Miyuki gave her an expectant glare. "Where's the candy? You promised candy!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just a second..."

Konata dug the tin from her pocket and removed a Mentat. Before she could react, Miyuki had snatched the pill and had begun chewing on it. Konata stuck her tongue out in disgust as Miyuki swallowed. A few seconds later, she began coughing.

"That candy tasted bad!" she wailed.

Konata snickered. "That's because you're not supposed to chew it!" Miyuki ignored her and started pouting.

About a minute passed, and Miyuki started to glance around like she had just woken up. "Konata?" she asked, "Where are we?"

Konata ignored the question. "Miyuki, quick! What's two plus two?"

Miyuki gave her an odd look. "Four."

"What's eight times eight?"

"Sixty-four."

"What's two-thousand three-hundred ninety-four times five-hundred eighty-nine divided by forty-five?"

"Thirty-one-thousand three-hundred thirty-four point eight."

"I'll take your word for that." Konata threw her hands up in the air. "Yay, Miyuki's back!"

Miyuki rubbed her head. "Where did I go, exactly? I remember finishing the pipe, and then the next thing I know, I'm standing here." She looked up. "And why is it dark out?"

"Well..." Konata pressed her fingertips together. "You may have blacked out and fell off the roof and then developed an addiction to Mentats..."

Miyuki's eyes widened. "I fell off the roof?! And I have an addiction?!"

Konata held her hands up. "Don't worry, it's not that bad! Doc Church fixed your head up, and I got you these." Konata handed Miyuki the tins. "Just pop one of these whenever things start to get hazy, and you'll be fine."

Miyuki stopped panicking. "Well, if you say so..."

At that moment, the door to the saloon opened, and Mister Burke stepped out, glaring at Miyuki as he passed them.

"Man, what's that guy's problem?" Konata asked.

Miyuki kept her head down. "Konata-san, I think I'll stay out here for a while and get some air."

"Uh, sure, that's fine," Konata replied. "I'll head in and start making dinner then." Miyuki nodded and Konata went inside.

Miyuki rested her hands on the railing and looked out over Megaton. She noticed the bomb's tail-fin sticking up over the Church of Atom and took a deep sigh.

"You feeling alright?"

Miyuki turned and saw Lucas Simms watching her. "I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little... off."

Simms leaned on the railing beside her. "You're lucky. Most people would be feeling a little dead after a fall like that." He faced her. "But that's not what you meant, is it?"

Miyuki shook her head.

"You're worried about the bomb."

Miyuki nodded.

Simms looked back out over the town. "I know how you feel. Most people don't even realize it's still a threat. They figure if it ain't gone off by now, it never will. I respectfully disagree."

Miyuki frowned. "I can't imagine what would happen if it went off. That would be just awful."

Simms looked thoughtful. "Listen, I heard about how you fixed the pipes for Walter. It feels strange to ask, since you've already helped us more than any stranger ever has, but, maybe you could try disarming the bomb? You know, for good? I could pay you, if that's what you want."

Miyuki shook her head. "I wouldn't need a reward. I just want to help, but I don't know if I can. I'm not trained for this kind of thing."

"If you don't think you can handle it, then that's fine. But I'm willing to bet that you're smart enough to figure it out." He stood up. "Maybe some Mentats could help," he suggested, causing Miyuki to sweatdrop. "Anyway, just think about it." With that, he turned and walked away.

Miyuki took another look at the bomb. _I have to help somehow, but_ _I don't know if I can disarm the bomb. Maybe I could turn in Mister Burke? No, I'm certain someone would get hurt if they tried to arrest him. What should I do?_

Sojiro interrupted her thoughts. "Miyuki-san, you should come in soon. It's getting cold out, and Konata's almost done cooking dinner!"

"Alright, I'll be right in. Thank you, Izumi-san."

Sojiro smiled and nodded before closing the door.

Miyuki took a final glance back over the town. _These people deserve to live without this thing hanging over them. I think... At the very least, I need to try. _She nodded to herself and looked determined. _That's what I'm going to do. I'll try to disarm the bomb!

* * *

_Miyuki gently closed the saloon's door and glanced around. Since it was just after three in the morning, there was no one in sight. She started down the network of ramps and platforms towards the bomb. Sneaking out of the saloon without waking Konata or Sojiro had been difficult, but she had somehow managed to dress and get her things without disturbing them.

She set off across the platform towards the ramp that led to the plaza. At the foot of the ramp, she found herself faced with the undetonated atomic bomb. Easily twice twice the size of a car, the explosive looked imposing sitting in the diffuse moonlight. Miyuki swallowed one of her Mentats and took a book from her backpack.

_Duck and Cover!_ was an educational book that mainly served to illustrate the dangers of explosive devices, but it also contained detailed diagrams of various types of explosive weapons, including atomic bombs. She read over the general information about atomic weaponry until her Mentat kicked in. With the chem enhancing her considerable comprehension, she turned to the diagrams and began to study them.

After a minute, she approached the bomb, ignoring the faint ticking from her Pip-Boy as she stepped in the irradiated water. She located the access hatch and pried it open, revealing the inner workings of the bomb. Miyuki sweatdropped; the inside of the bomb looked more complex than she had pictured. She consulted the diagram once more and reached into the casing.

"That's quite far enough. Turn around, slowly."

Miyuki froze with fear and slowly turned to face the source of the voice. She found herself face to face with Mister Burke, staring down the barrel of a silenced 10mm pistol.

Burke smiled nefariously. "I thought you might try to play the hero. So I kept my eye on you. Now, you're going to do what you should have done when we first met. You're going to rig this bomb to explode."

Miyuki put on a defiant face, but her fear still showed. "N-No, I refuse to do that!"

Burke's voice remained tauntingly cool and calm. "Now now, Miss – Miyuki, is it? – we both know that you're going to do as you're told."

"And just what makes you think I would do that?" Again, her trembling voice betrayed her fear.

"You're going to do it because you're a coward. You know that if you don't, I will shoot you. And no one will hear, no one will know that you're dead. You're afraid to die, and you're going to cling to some feeble hope that you can stop me before I detonate the bomb. That's why you're going to do it."

Miyuki scowled as tears welled up in her eyes. She hated being called a coward. She hated the thought of all these people dieing. But worst of all, she hated the fact that Burke was right.

"Now, get to work." Burke shoved the Fusion Pulse Charge at her. "And don't try anything funny. The charge has indicators that will tell me whether it is attached properly or not."

Miyuki turned away from him and examined the charge.

"Well?" Burke asked impatiently as he jabbed her back with the gun barrel.

"Just a minute," she hissed back angrily. She hesitantly stepped forward and took a deep sigh before setting to work.

Rigging the charge wasn't all that difficult. It was designed so that anyone with explosives experience would be able to connect it to the bomb's explosive core correctly. The job did require bypassing several connections, however, so caution was required.

After several minutes, Miyuki turned around, head hung low. "There. It's done," she reported weakly.

Mister Burke pushed her aside and examined her work. A sinister grin spread on his face. "Excellent. Allistair Tenpenny thanks you." he said, glancing at her. Miyuki kept her eyes on the ground.

Burke grabbed her by the arm and lead her to a small building across the plaza. He opened the door and shoved her inside, causing her to fall to her knees. "Feel free to make yourself at home. I most certainly will not be needing this shack any longer." Burke turned to look at the bomb. "The blast will be quite the spectacle, you know. How lucky you are to have a front row seat."

Miyuki clenched her fists. "I'll stop you. Somehow, I'll find a way out of here and I'll stop you."

Burke chuckled. "I sincerely doubt that. Goodbye, Miss Miyuki. We will not meet again."

* * *

Akira leaned back in her fold-down seat, arms crossed impatiently. The continuous droning buzz from the Vertibird's twin rotors only served to irritate her more. Across from her sat Minoru, who sat up straight and kept his hands folded neatly in his lap. After several minutes of silence, Minoru decided to speak.

"You know, these Vertibirds are an amazing piece of technology! In today's world, most people can't find enough power to turn on a light bulb, and here we can build something that flies!"

Akira glanced at him. "So? What's so impressive about that? So someone figured out how to spin metal blades enough to go up." She held up a finger and spun it in the air. "Big deal."

Minoru looked puzzled. _That's odd. She was so friendly back at the base._ "Oh, well I guess it's nothing special. I was just trying to make conversation."

Akira sighed. With the others seated in the cockpit, she decided it was acceptable to drop her act. "Okay kid, let's get one thing straight. I don't like you. I never will. So you can stop trying to be friendly, 'cause it's just gonna piss me off."

She flipped over to bright-eyed, sweet voiced cute mode. "Understand?"

Minoru looked somewhat shocked. "I... I understand, Akira-sama."

"Good!" she replied with an eyesmile. She turned toward the cockpit. "Oh pilot!" she called. "How much longer until we get there?" She put on a pouting face. "Akira just can't wait to get into the action!"

Platner turned towards her. "ETA is two hours." he said simply.

Akira slouched down and crossed her arms again. "Bastard," she mumbled.

Minoru caught this and looked thoughtful. "So, you don't like anyone, and yet you act cute and nice to them?"

"Figure that out on your own, Sherlock?" Akira said as she casually picked her teeth with her pinkie.

"Well, why do you do that?"

"Why do you think?"

Minoru still gave a questioning look; Akira rolled her eyes.

"To manipulate people, stupid. Half the reason I got my rank is 'cause I'm so damn cute."

"Oh. So does that mean that you're not as good a fighter as they say?"

Akira snapped to attention and gave Minoru a furious glare, causing him to sweatdrop.

"Now listen here, pal." Her voice was hushed, but it dripped with acid. "I'm the best damn fighter you'll ever meet. I'm ten times as good as any other trooper and a hell of a lot meaner. Keep giving me shit and you'll experience that first hand. Got it?!"

Minoru was pale. "Y-Yes, Akira-sama! I'm sorry I questioned you!"

"Good!" she replied, once again jarringly shifted to cute mode.

* * *

Miyuki was frantically searching the inside of Burke's house for a way to escape. But Burke had locked the door behind him, and the only remotely useful item in the shack had been a sawed-off shotgun, which only had one shell anyway. She sat down in the armchair and covered her face. It had been at least an hour since Burke had left, and hopeless tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. _I can't believe it... I've doomed all these people, and there's nothing I can do about it. _

At that moment, a faint click could be heard from the door, followed by a muffled exclamation of victory. The door suddenly burst open, revealing a triumphant looking Konata.

"Fear not, Yuki-chan! That was one hell of a tough lock, but now I'm here to rescue you!"

Miyuki's eyes brightened. "Konata? How did you know I was here?"

Konata grinned. "You're really not as sneaky as you think, Yuki-chan. Tripping over a sensor module when you left my room didn't help either."

Miyuki blushed.

"So I followed you out and hid when you went to the bomb. So, what exactly did you do to it?"

Miyuki looked down at the floor, ashamed. "I... I'm sorry Konata, but... I rigged the bomb to explode!"

Konata held her chin and nodded. "That's what I thought."

Miyuki looked up at her. "Y-You're not angry?"

Konata shrugged. "That Burke guy had a gun pointed at you. I think the blame is on him. I don't suppose you can disarm it now?"

Miyuki shook her head. "No, the only way to disarm it now is to destroy the transmitter that controls the pulse charge."

Konata nodded. "Alright then." She tossed the hunting rifle to Miyuki. "Then that's just what we're gonna do. Did Burke say anything about where he was headed?"

"No," Miyuki said as she gripped the rifle in thought, "But he did say something about Allistair Tenpenny. Does that help?"

"That means he's headed for Tenpenny Tower," Konata said. "That explains why we haven't gone boom yet. Tenpenny Tower is a long walk from here. If we run, we can catch him." Konata turned towards the door.

"Wait," Miyuki said, "What if we don't make it in time? Shouldn't we warn the townspeople?"

"No, they wouldn't believe you anyway. And if Simms heard, he'd probably shoot you. Besides," Konata said with a grin, "What fun is a quest if there's no penalty for failure?"

* * *

"Yay! We're finally here!" Akira exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. _About damn time._ She jumped down out of the Vertibird into the cool morning air. The sun was just poking over the eastern horizon, turning the smoggy sky pale yellow. "Come on, Shiraishi-san! No time to waste!"

Minoru climbed down through the hatch and onto the dirt. They both wore the loose settler's outfits over their uniforms.

They started making their way down the ridge. "So, where are we headed?" Minoru asked.

"Some shitty little town made out of junk. It's supposed to be one of biggest settlements out here, but I can't imagine why."

Minoru frowned slightly; he was still thrown off by Akira's bitter side, but he had a nagging feeling that he was going to see a lot more of it.

They reached the bottom of the ridge and began walking down the street of a ruined town. Minoru glanced around at the destroyed houses.

"This sure is a lot of destruction. So many people died that day, when the bombs fell. It's kind of sad, don't you think?"

Akira shrugged. "Not really. If you ask me, the rest of the world should just give up and die already. Then the Enclave could finally come in and rebuild it all the right way."

They came upon an old gas station, next to which was a sign pointing the way to Megaton. "This must be the place," Akira said. "Let's get this over with."

They followed the path until they came to the high scrap metal walls of Megaton. They entered the town and took a moment to examine their surroundings. Akira scowled. "Ugh. What a disgusting place."

"I don't know, it seems kinda charming to me."

Akira was about to say something derogatory when she noticed a dark skinned man with a cowboy hat and duster approaching them. He sported a Chinese assault rifle and a five pointed sheriff's star.

"Here comes the local boy scout," Akira muttered to Minoru.

"Just keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking."

"Howdy, strangers. Name's Lucas Simms, town sheriff. What brings you folks to Megaton?"

_Pffft. Nice hat, Calamity Jane. _"Hi there, Mister Sheriff! I'm Akira Kogami, and this is my friend, Minoru Shiraishi! We're so happy to meet you!"

"My, you seem awfully happy." Simms commented. _A little too happy._

Akira put on her cutest pout. "But I'm not happy! We're looking for my cousin, and we're so worried that she's gotten into trouble." She looked up at Simms hopefully, her eyes glittering. "Maybe you've seen her? She has long pink hair and she wears glasses. Please, Mister Sheriff, have you seen her?"

_Now what could these characters want with Miss Takara? _"Hm, a girl like that sounds hard to miss. Can't say that I've seen her, though. Wish I could help." He glanced at Minoru. "What's the matter, son? You've been awfully quiet."

Minoru sweatdropped, wondering what to say, but Akira spoke for him. "Oh, it's so sad! My cousin is his girlfriend, and he's just so worried that he hasn't talked much lately. Isn't that right, Shiraishi-san?"

"Yep, that's right! Worried sick with nothing to say. Why, who's saying something? I'm not saying anything, I'm just being quiet- youch!" A sharp sideways kick to the shin from a still smiling Akira shut him up.

"That's just too bad," Simms said, "What did you say her name was?"

Akira's eyebrows tilted upward in worry. "Her name? I mean... her name is... uh, her name is..."

_Okay, now I know these two are up to something._ "Miyuki Takara?" Simms supplied.

"That's it!" Akira exclaimed. "Have you heard anything about her?"

Simms nodded. "Sure have. Heard that she was headed to Andale. I little town down south. Not really that far away. She might still be there."

"Oh, thank you Mister Sheriff! I feel so much better now! Come on, Shiraishi-san, let's go." She waved at Simms. "Bye-bee!"

As Simms watched them leave, Jericho walked over. "That kid was bullshitting, big time. And she thinks you bought the whole thing."

"I know, Jericho. That's why I did a little bullshitting myself."

"Yeah. That was pretty smooth sending them off to Andale. I wish I could see their faces when they figure it out!"

"Provided they get through Fairfax." Simms said.

"Oh yeah, those guys used to give my boys hell back in the day. So, what if they do manage to make it back here?"

"Then they'll be pissed, and you, me, and Stockholm will have to make it clear that they're not welcome."

Jericho grinned. "Sounds good. My trigger finger's been getting a little itchy lately."

* * *

Miyuki fell down to her hands and knees on a patch of asphalt that was still mostly intact. Sweat lined her brow, and she was panting heavily. Even Konata had stopped to lean on a faded billboard and catch her breath. She pulled a bottle of water from her bag and took several gulps before passing it to Miyuki. The vault dweller took the plastic bottle eagerly, too exhausted to care about radiation or backwash.

They had been running for an hour now, and had stopped to rest on the top of a hill. "Look, Yuki-chan," Konata said, pointing beyond the billboard, "I can see it in the distance."

Miyuki looked up and saw, beyond the barren valley of dead trees beneath them, beyond the distant section of overpass still standing on a ridge, beyond whatever was past that ridge, and beyond whatever was past that, stood a tall tower. It was difficult to make out in the Wasteland's characteristic dust and smog, but it was definitely visible.

"I'd say we're almost a quarter of the way there," Konata commented.

Miyuki's eyes widened. "A quarter?!" Miyuki wondered just how tall this tower was, if it could be seen from so many miles away. She wiped more sweat from her forehead; even now, still only about six in the morning, the harsh sun was beating down on her back from the east. Miyuki was suddenly grateful for her miniskirt and V-neck letting in a cool breeze, but that left her exposed to the sun. She wondered how long it would take for her pale skin to burn. She suddenly realized why Konata, and almost everyone else, had at least a light tan.

"Come on, we gotta keep moving. We don't know how much of a head start he's got on us." Konata prompted as she started to head down the hill

Miyuki pushed herself to her feet and followed, her legs already aching again after the short break.

* * *

So, what'd you think? Personally, I like the antagonistic perspective offered by Akira's character, and she's damn fun to write dialog for. And Miyuki being forced to arm the bomb, how's that for a shocking plot twist? You can bet that the next chapter will feature plenty of action, and another new character will be introduced probably two chapter's from now. Maybe three. Then the action picks up for a while. And I don't want to spoil anything, but let me just say that I can't wait to introduce Kagami. I've got something special planned for her. Suffice it to say that you guys have a lot to look forward to. Don't miss it.

There's one last thing I want to add. I've been considering moving this story out of the crossover section and putting it in the Lucky Star section to make it more visible, again following in ArmorBlade's footsteps. But I'm not sure... on the one hand, staying in the crossover section will keep my story accessible. It'll always be one the front page, hell, it'll always be the first entry now that Tastychainsaws has finished his story. But the readers will only trickle in if their incredibly bored, curious, or they happen to like both franchises. On the other hand, moving it to the main section will expose it to a larger readership, but once it's complete, that's it. It gets buried, and people can only find it if they dig through genre filters for it or if they happen to see it in someone's favorite list. I'm just wondering what you guys think the best stratagy is. It's not like I don't appreciate the readers I have now, but I feel like there are others who would like it that don't want to come and see it, for whatever reason. I would especially like advice from you, ArmorBlade, since you've already taken that plunge; are you better off for it? Just something I wanted to say before the story gets too long to change.


	5. Tenpenny Tower

Greetings and salutations to my faithful readers, and welcome aboard InsertRandomUsernameHere! I'm always glad to find that my writing has entertained someone new.

First, I'd like to say that I have decided to leave Luckless Wasteland in the crossover section after all. I was always leaning towards that option anyway, I guess I just needed to hear someone else say that I should do it.

Moving on, I was not expecting to find two more Lucky Star/Fallout crossovers when I got back here! That ties us with Naruto as the third most common Lucky Star crossover and makes us the second most common Fallout crossover! Woot! (Oddly enough, we lose out to Naruto in the Fallout section. Weird, huh?) The fact that both are based on Falling Stars makes me feel a bit overshadowed, but that's okay. I do have my own small readership after all, so I've got nothing really to complain about. As long as I know _someone_ is reading, I'll keep writing. So read away!

* * *

"We're here, Miyuki! We're finally here!"

Miyuki looked up to see Tenpenny Tower looming over them at the top of one final incline. Miyuki sighed heavily; it was now close to nine in the morning, and they had been running for hours. Miyuki's feet hurt, her skin burned, her lungs ached, and she must've went through five whole bottles of water. They had run into a handful of raiders, pools of radioactive sludge, a whole pack of vicious wild dogs, and even a haywire Protectron, and they were only just now reaching their destination.

"Konata-san, I don't know if I can make it," Miyuki said between pants.

Konata was hunched over taking deep breaths as well. "If it makes you feel better, Yuki-chan, I've never run that far either. I wasn't sure we could make it, but it's just up that hill. And we're not too late; we would've heard the explosion. Miyuki, we still have a chance!"

That gave Miyuki new energy. She pushed onward, despite every muscle in her body screaming not to. They climbed the hill and approached the tower. Up close, the building looked like it was once a luxury hotel before the bombs fell. Miyuki guessed that it was maybe five or six stories high. Large slabs of broken concrete had been jigsawed together to form a wall around the tower itself. The wall was up to twelve feet tall in some places.

"Konata-san, I don't see how we can get in there. They surely won't let us in through the gate."

"Don't worry Yuki-chan. If there's one thing I'm good at, it getting into places I'm not supposed to."

They circled the wall until they came to a pile of rocks next to a low section of wall. "You see, Yuki-chan? Just follow me!" Konata jumped up and grasped a piece of rebar sticking from the concrete. She hauled herself up and perched on the wall like a cat. Miyuki jumped to grab the rebar and fell. She had no problem reaching the bar, but she was too tired to pull herself up. Konata hung down and offered her hand to Miyuki. "Here, grab my hand." Miyuki did so, and after much struggling managed to climb up with Konata's help.

"How can you manage to have that much strength left?" Miyuki asked as they dropped down the other side of the wall.

"Well, I cheated. I took a little Buffout on the way up here."

"Oh. I see." Buffout was a type of pre-war steroid.

"Speaking of which, you should take a Mentat. I'd hate to see you blank out during the shootout." Miyuki nodded and took a Mentat.

The two girls sneaked to the front of the tower, where a few guards were posted near a surprisingly decorative, if rusted, gate. An intercom buzzed next to the gate.

"State your name and business at Tenpenny Tower," one of the guards said into the intercom.

"This is Burke. I've fulfilled Mr. Tenpenny's request, and I'm here to see him."

"Oh, welcome back, Mister Burke. I'll open the gate right up."

Konata grinned. "Well, what do you know?" she said as the gate slid open. "Looks like we're right on time." She drew her knife from her belt with a flourish. "I'll be right back."

Konata darted behind one of the decorative stone pillars in the tower's courtyard as Mister Burke entered. He rounded the dried up fountain and headed straight toward her pillar. Konata's catlike smile crept across her face. _Perfect!_ As Burke passed the pillar, Konata leaped out and lunged for him, her knife poised like a mantis' claw. Burke barely noticed her and managed to dodge at the very last second; the blade missed by centimeters.

As Konata recovered from her lunge, he gave her a shove, toppling her over next to the fountain. He turned and ran for the doors as the guards drew their assault rifles. Konata drew her Chinese pistol and rapidly emptied her ten round clip into the guard near the intercom. Five of the weak 10mm rounds impacted harmlessly on the guard's security armor, and one round missed entirely. Four rounds, however, managed to strike his head and kill him.

Konata sprung up and dove for the sandbags that the guard had been standing behind, kicking the body away as the two guards across the courtyard open fired. Konata reloaded and took a few potshots at the guards, but her pistol was just as inaccurate as it was weak. "Miyuki!" she called out, "Over here!"

Miyuki dashed over toward Konata and took cover behind a pillar. "What happened? How did you miss him?"

"His hat gave him plus-one Perception is what happened," Konata said, sounding bitter. "Try to draw their fire."

"Got it!" Miyuki leaned around the pillar and took a shot with her rifle, but it flew wide. One of the guards turned his rifle towards Miyuki, sending chunks of stone flying from her cover. The guard attacking Konata stopped to reload, prompting Konata to stand and empty another clip at the guards. One of the rounds grazed the attacking guard's arm, distracting him. Miyuki took the chance to fire at the reloading guard, and she managed to send the .32 round straight through his unarmored bicep.

With both guards momentarily distracted, Konata vaulted over the sandbags and sprinted toward them, dodging some frantic fire from the grazed guard. With a wide sweeping slash, Konata cut both their throats at once. She retrieved an assault rifle, replacing the empty magazine as they ran up to the doors and paused.

"They'll be waiting for us. You ready?" Konata asked, her hand on the door handle.

Miyuki nodded. "We've come so far. I'm not about to give up."

Konata grinned. "Well, here goes nothing!"

* * *

"I still say this is a bad idea," Sergeant Platner cautioned. "We really should stay grounded during daylight hours."

"Oh, stop being such a worry-wort!" Akira replied. "This way, we can catch this Miyuki girl faster, and the President will be so happy and proud of us!"

Akira craned her neck to see over the pilot's shoulder and out the windshield. The dirt and rocks littering the Wasteland were little more than a brown blur below them. "So, do we have any information about Andale?" Akira asked Platner.

"After reviewing our pre-war maps, I've determined that Andale was a small suburb south of the urban area known as Fairfax, the ruins of which we should be coming upon shortly."

"Oh! Is that it?" Akira pointed out the windshield at a rapidly approaching cluster of pre-war buildings.

"Yes, that should be-" Platner was cut off by an explosion throwing the Vertibird off course and shaking everyone inside. "Damage report!" Platner shouted as the craft started to stabilize.

"We've lost control of our left engine, and we're taking small arms fire from the buildings," Dixon reported.

"Sir," Callow said, panic in his voice, "They've fired another missile!"

Akira jumped back into the passenger compartment and strapped herself in as the missile impacted. Everyone in the Vertibird was suddenly thrown around like rag dolls as the craft came crashing down, skipping off the roof of a tall building as it did. It careened past Fairfax, plowed through a still standing section of overpass, and ricocheted off a cliff face before coming to rest half-buried in the dirt.

* * *

Konata and Miyuki threw open the double doors and charged inside, ready for a fight. Upon entering the tower lobby, however, they were stopped dead in their tracks, momentarily stunned by the sheer numbers stacked against them.

Four guards had taken cover behind the reception desk, and four more were crouched in front of it. Six more guards were interspersed throughout the large lobby, taking cover behind chairs and pillars, and perched on the walkways overlooking the main floor were four more guards. Burke stood by the elevator behind the desk, flanked by an important looking guard. Twenty guns, in total, all pointed at Konata and Miyuki.

Burke chuckled. "Bravo. Bravo, I say. Quite the show of bravery and heroism you two have put on. It would appear that I have underestimated you. But this is where it ends. I'll give you one chance to turn around and walk away. You can't save Megaton; why go down with it?"

Konata put on her determined grin. "You know what I say? I say bring on a hundred guards! We'll beat you in the end, even if we have to use every last buff we have! Even if our weapons and armor are lowered to zero condition! We'll still win, because you're all nothing but NPCs!"

Miyuki hadn't the faintest clue as to what Konata said, but it sounded encouraging. "What she said!" she blurted out.

Burke cocked his eyebrow. "I'll never understand you Wastelanders. Very well, if you have a death wish, then I will be happy to fulfill it." He turned to the guard beside him. "Chief Gustavo, eliminate them."

Gustavo nodded. "You heard him boys! Open fire!"

Konata and Miyuki ducked behind two nearby stone pillars as a wave of lead washed toward them. Konata listened for a few seconds. "Dang, they're staggering reloads to keep the pressure on us," she muttered. She dug a syringe of Med-X, a powerful painkiller, from her pocket and pulled the cap off the needle with her teeth.

"Konata-san? What are you doing?" Miyuki asked, sounding worried.

Konata slid the long needle into her wrist. "I'm going to tank them. I'll draw their aggro so you can pick them off. Aim for their heads; they don't have helmets. Don't worry about me, my outfit's in good condition. Combine that with this Med-X and I figure my DR is at least thirty-five. Plus I get plus-sixty HP from the Buffout I took earlier."

Miyuki sweatdropped. "Wh-What did you just say?"

Konata pulled a frag grenade from her belt. "Just shoot whoever shoots at me."

She lobbed the grenade around the pillar and toward the desk. The desk was blown in two, sending splinters everywhere. Most of the guards dove away from the explosive, but two were injured in the blast and one was killed.

Having broken the main offensive line, Konata charged forward, assault rifle blazing. She managed to mow down several of the ground level guards before emptying her magazine and being forced to take cover by the ruined desk.

Miyuki took careful aim and picked off two of the guards on the second floor before fire was once again focused on her. Konata drew her knife and pistol before jumping over the desk and charging for Burke, slashing one guard and headshoting another on her way.

She lunged for Burke, but Chief Gustavo swung at her with the butt of his gun, forcing her to dodge. She turned and lunged for him, taking three shots before stabbing him between the armor plates on his chest. Ripping the knife back out, she turned and saw Burke standing in the elevator. She hurled her knife straight at him, but the door slid closed just in time to block it. Konata silently cursed as she ran over to retrieve her knife.

Taking a moment to jab a stimpak into her wrist to help seal up the many bullet wounds she had just acquired, she turned back towards the lobby. The number of guards was now much lower; Miyuki had managed to kill all but five, who were now focusing fire on her. Konata scooped Gustavo's rifle off the ground and charged at the guards from behind, pouring lead into the closest. Her rifle ran dry, and she swung it like a club at the back of a second guard's head. Miyuki managed to get another headshot off, and Konata finished the last two with her knife.

"You're a real deadeye, aren't you?" Konata said approvingly.

Miyuki smiled bashfully. "Well, when you've read every book in the Vault, there's not much to do but practice with your BB gun."

Konata nodded. "Makes sense. Now come on, Burke got away." She started towards the stairs. "We need to hurry if we're gonna catch him!"

* * *

"Akira-sama! Akira-sama!"

Akira cringed at hearing Minoru's voice. She opened her eyes and cringed more when she saw him hanging over her.

"Akira-sama! Thank goodness you're awake!"

"Minoru? What happened to the others?" she asked, cute voiced.

Minoru frowned. "They didn't make it. They're all dead."

"Then get off of me!" Akira shouted, no longer needing to act. She kicked Minoru away and sat up, finding herself on the ground a short distance from a pile of flaming wreckage. She noticed that her uniform was singed and torn in places; she vaguely noted that Minoru's was as well.

"Wait here," she instructed. Minrou simply sat still, still a bit shaken from her outburst. Akira walked back to the wreck, careful to avoid the flames and sharp debris. She entered through a large hole torn in the side of the hull, emerging a short time later carrying the two olive duffel bags.

"Looks like most of the equipment is slag," she said, dropping the bags in front of Minoru. "No power armor or laser rifles," she said with a sigh. "Just these," she patted the two laser pistols strapped to her thighs, "And this." She tossed the assault rifle to Minoru. "Most of the food and water was okay though, so I put it all in the bags. Now lets get going."

She walked away, and Minoru scrambled to collect the bags before following her. "But, Akira-sama, where are we going?"

Akira gave him an annoyed look. "We're going to Andale, stupid. We're going to catch this girl so we can go back home. What else would we be doing?" Minoru looked down at his feet. She was right, they still had a mission to complete.

They walked south, and it didn't take very long before they reached Andale. A Red Rocket fuel station greeted them as they walked up the hill to the small group of houses. Most were little more than rubble, but three were left standing.

"Well, hello there young lady!"

A man had appeared from seemingly nowhere to come and greet them; Minoru jumped, startled, but Akira didn't miss a beat. "Hi there, Mister! I'm Akira Kogami!"

"Good to meet you!" the man said, his voice every bit as cheerful as Akira's. "Name's Smith, Jack Smith. Welcome to Andale, the best little town in Virginia!" The man didn't seem to notice their uniforms, which were rather out of place in the Wasteland.

"It's good to meet you, Jack!"

"And it's good to meet you too! Feel free to stay in Andale as long as you'd like. Heck, stop by the house for dinner sometime if you like. Just let Linda know beforehand so she can make enough for five!"

"That sound's like fun! Maybe we'll do that."

"I hope to see you there! So, did you need anything else?"

"Well, we're looking for someone and heard that she came to Andale."

"Well, that's no surprise. Andale wins town of the year every year; we always get visitors! What did she look like?"

As Akira retold her story about lost cousins, Minoru decided to take a look around the town; the back and forth cheeriness was starting to get to him. He walked toward another house and saw a boy standing on the sidewalk.

"You're new here, aren't you?" the boy said as he approached. "Wow! I never get a chance to talk to the new people! Dad always takes care of them before I get a chance."

Minoru looked confused. _Takes care of them?_ "What do your parents do?" he asked.

"The same things that all parents do! My mom cooks and cleans the house and my dad goes to work with Mr. Wilson. They work in the basement, or sometimes in Mr. Wilson's shed. Dad says that when I'm older, I'll come to work with him, and learn the family business!"

"Oh, that sounds nice. So you like living in Andale?"

"It's swell! Except... I wish there were more kids. And my dad says that I'm going to have to marry smelly old Jenny Wilson someday. He keeps saying stuff to my mom about keeping the family going, and how when him and Mr. Wilson were brothers, they didn't want to get married either. It's weird... that means Mr Wilson is my uncle and Jenny is... something. I don't know. It seems weird to marry her."

Before Minoru could respond, a man came walking up to them. "Hey there, Junior. Making a new friend?"

"Hi, Mr. Wilson. I was just telling him about life in Andale."

"Ah, Andale. It's the perfect place to settle down and raise a family, stranger."

Minoru tried starting a conversation. "Junior told me that you and Mr. Smith work together. What do you do?"

"I feed my family and I love my wife and daughter, what more to life is there, stranger? Family first! And any man who says anything different is saying something wrong. And you should hit that man. With a stick."

Minoru sweatdropped.

"Oh Shiraishi-san!" Akira called. Minoru turned and saw her beckoning him across the street.

"I have to go now," he said, bowing.

"We'll catch you later!" Mr. Wilson called after him.

"What is it, Akira-sama?" he asked upon reaching her.

"That Jack guy says he's never seen this Miyuki chick, but he's gotta be lying. He's way too nice to be telling the truth."

"I don't know, these people seem like they're just nice. I don't think they're lying about anything."

"Oh, come on Shiraishi-san," Akira said, her voice sweet. "You don't really believe that, do you?" She pouted, blinking her big, golden eyes at him. "I mean, you of all people should know to never judge a book by it's cover." Minoru frowned as Akira switched out from cute mode, her point proven. "I'm telling you, these people are hiding something. Follow me, I have an idea."

* * *

"Just two more floors, Yuki-chan!"

Miyuki didn't think anything was more tiring than running across miles of barren wasteland; she was now very close to changing that assessment. But still, she pressed on up the next flight of stairs, determined to stop Burke and set things right.

Konata opened the door to the top floor as the elevator doors across the hall opened. Burke fired as he left the elevator, forcing Konata to duck back for cover. Miyuki caught up as Burke dashed down the hall, headed for the master suite. She took a quick shot, but she only grazed his leg. Burke slowed, but he kept firing back.

Miyuki reached into the ammunition bag Konata had given her as they gave chase, but she found that she had expended all her magazines in the lobby. She had one round left in her current magazine; she would have to make it count. Konata took potshots as they ran before cursing and throwing her pistol to the ground; she too, had run out of ammunition.

Burke entered the master suite, which was left unguarded; apparently, every guard in the tower had been called down to the lobby. The girls followed him into the suite and through a set of doors leading to the balcony.

"End of the line, Burke!" Konata said with a grin. "You're cornered."

Burke was standing on the left side of the balcony next to a table holding an open case. On the right side sat an old man in a bright red suit. Miyuki noticed that he had a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder.

"Mister Burke," the man said in a thick British accent. "Who are these people? You said the security breach was under control!"

"It is under control, Mr. Tenpenny," he replied, his pistol pointed at the girls. "You two are proving to be an extreme inconvenience. But you will find that I have the advantage here." Burke's hand was hovering over the case, which seemed to contain a control panel of sorts.

"Wait, is that...?" Miyuki started to ask, too scared to finish the question.

Burke grinned maliciously. "Indeed it is. The detonator for the Fusion Pulse Charge. If either of you so much as raise your weapons, I will flip the switch, and Megaton will cease to exist. Now back away and drop your weapons."

"Why should we listen to you? You're just gonna blow it up no matter what we do!" Konata shouted.

Burke's hand inched closer to the switch. "I'm giving you a chance to survive. Surrender, and you live. Try to attack, and you will die with your precious town. It's your choice."

Konata grinned. "Fine. I choose... option C!"

Konata moved surprisingly fast, swinging her knife in a wide arc before letting it fly at Burke. The knife buried itself in his stomach, forcing him to stagger back, away from the case. Burke fired his pistol at Konata, striking her in the leg and torso as she sprung forward. She took two more shots before closing the distance and delivering a strong kick. Burke flew back against the railing before Konata pounced on him and ripped her knife out from his stomach. Despite the pain, Burke managed to squeeze off two more shots before a slash to the wrist made him drop the pistol. Konata stabbed him twice before delivering a final slash to the neck.

As Burke's corpse fell, Konata turned to attack Tenpenny, but she staggered and clutched at her point-blank bullet wounds, leaning on the railing for support. Miyuki saw Tenpenny start to draw his sniper rifle, taking advantage of Konata's weakened state. She aimed her rifle, hoping to end this conflict with a well placed headshot. She squeezed the trigger.

And missed.

Miyuki's eyes widened as panic set in. She was out of rounds; there was nothing she could do to stop that high-powered rifle from tearing through Konata. The world seemed to grind to a halt as she watched the scene unfold before her. Tenpenny had drawn his rifle, and was starting to take aim. For the first time, Miyuki saw fear on Konata's face. Konata squeezed her eyes shut as the rifle was brought to bear, and the dull boom from the high powered firearm filled her ears.

* * *

"Thank you so much for inviting us to dinner, Jack!" Akira bubbly exclaimed as she sat down at the table.

"Think nothing of it, friend! We're more than happy to show some good old fashioned hospitality to our guests." Jack walked back out to the living room. "Junior!" he called up the stairs, "It's dinner time!"

Akira nudged Minoru, who was seated beside her. "The basement door is over there," she said quietly, subtly nodding towards the hall. "That's gotta be where they're hiding the girl."

Jack returned and sat down, followed by Junior. "Oh, hi there," Junior said when he saw Minoru and Akira. "I didn't know we were having company. We never have guests over for dinner!"

"Nonsense!" Jack said, "We have guests for dinner all the time!"

"They're ready!" Linda, Jack's wife, called over from the stove. She removed a tray from the oven and brought it over to the table. "My special Meat Pies, baked fresh from the oven. I hope you like them!" Linda placed several of the baked patties on everyone's plates and sat down.

Akira took a bite; her eyes widened slightly as she nearly gagged, but she never dropped her act. "Delicious!" she exclaimed.

Minoru tried the meat and was similarly repulsed, but tried to not show it. "My, it certainly has a unique flavor," he said after managing to gulp it down. "What kind of meat is it?"

"Oh, it's a very special kind of meat. A choice cut, if I do say so myself." Jack answered vaguely.

They continued to eat until Akira and Minoru had choked down half their meals. Akira gave Minoru a wink; Minoru looked hesitant, but nodded.

"Ohhhh..." Minoru moaned, clutching his stomach. "Akira-sama, it's happening again!"

_Come on, you idiot! Put some emotion into your lines! _"Oh dear!" She faced Jack. "Jack, do you have a bathroom? It's an emergency!"

"Uh, sure. It's just upstairs."

Minoru stood abruptly and bowed stiffly. "Thank you very much!" he exclaimed before rushing out from the kitchen.

"Is he okay?" Jack asked.

"Poor Shiraishi-san has radiation sickness." Akira shrugged. "Poor guy keeps needing to use the bathroom."

"Well, that's just too bad."

Akira studied Jack as they ate, searching for holes in his act, any hint or clue that might confirm her suspicions. _He must be a good actor, but so am I._

Minoru returned to the kitchen, bowing as he entered. "Thank you for letting me use the bathroom."

Jack smiled. "Not a problem, friend. Everything come out okay?"

"Yes sir," Minoru said as he sat down. "Everything was fine."

They started eating again, and Akira nudged Minoru. "Did you find it?" she whispered.

"I think so. It was the only one up there."

"Well, lets hope it's the right one. Then we'll be able to find out what's really going on around here."

* * *

_I'm dead. I failed my Luck roll and now I'm dead. _

_Aren't I?_

Konata slowly opened her eyes. She was still hunched over on the balcony of Tenpenny Tower, clutching her bullet wounds. She looked over at Allistair Tenpenny, and was surprised to see him slumped in his chair, his chest shredded by buckshot. She glanced at Miyuki and found the meganekko clutching a sawed-off shotgun, the barrel of which was smoking.

"M-Miyuki-san? You... you saved me!" Konata exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.

"I... I did?" Miyuki glanced down at the shotgun in confusion. "I don't even remember drawing this..."

"Yuki-chan saved me!" Konata exclaimed as she sprung up to pounce on Miyuki with a hug, but her legs gave out and she fell to her knees. "Right," she muttered, wincing. "My HP is low." She started to fumble for a stimpak.

"Konata-san, wait," Miyuki said, shifting her focus back to the moment. "Let me help." Miyuki crouched next to Konata, taking a stimpak from Konata's pouch and gently applying it to her wrist.

Konata smiled softly and leaned against Miyuki. "Thanks, Yuki-chan. I mean it; I really pushed my luck there. If this had been a solo mission, well, I'd have gotten a game over." She looked up at Miyuki. She looked genuinely thankful, but her eyes never lost their mischievous gleam. "I guess adventuring in a party is really the way to go!"

"You don't need to thank me, Konata-san. I owe you my own life after all. Are you certain you're all right? I could apply another stimpak." Miyuki offered.

"Nah," Konata replied as she pushed herself to her feet. "I'm still pretty sore, but I'll just sleep it off. You save caps on stimpaks that way."

Miyuki stood and the two examined the opened case on the table.

Konata scowled at the array of buttons and levers. "Here it is; the detonator for the bomb." She closed the case and held it out to Miyuki. "Would you like to do the honor?"

Miyuki nodded and took the case. She swung the case through the air and flung it out over the balcony. It careened into the Wasteland before smashing into tiny pieces on the ground.

Miyuki let out a deep sigh of relief, glancing out over the Wasteland. Megaton was just a speck on the horizon, but it was definitely there.

Konata gave her a thumbs up. "Good job!"

Miyuki smiled. "I suppose we should head back now, shouldn't we?"

Konata's eyes gleamed, and she held up a hand as though she were stopping Miyuki. "Not so fast, Yuki-chan. We've just completed our main quest objective. Do you know what that means?"

Miyuki sweatdropped. "I'm afraid I don't, Konata-san."

Konata grinned. "Well, I'll tell you. Now is the time for loot! Even if we only take the assault rifles and security armor, we'll make a fortune! Besides that, we've got this whole tower, ripe for the picking! Just think of it," she started to count off on her fingers, "We can get all kinds of nice pre-war clothes from a luxury place like this, and there's got to be a lot of food and water, not to mention a clinic filled with medicine. We can probably find all kinds of junk items too, and if we're lucky there'll be a weapons locker somewhere!"

Miyuki eyesmiled. It was comforting to see Konata's boundless enthusiasm and energy, despite what they had been through. "Alright, where should we start then?"

"Right here!" Konata declared. She marched over to Burke's corpse and retrieved his 10mm pistol. "You know," Konata said, spinning the silenced weapon on her finger, "I think I might end up keeping this one. It should have better stats than my old one, plus I can do mutiple sneak attacks with it!" She holstered the gun and glanced back at the corpse. After a moment of thought, she snatched up Burke's pre-war fedora and put it on. "How do I look?"

"It definitely suits you," Miyuki replied.

Konata approached Tenpenny's corpse and picked up his sniper rifle. She held it out to Miyuki. "This is rightfully yours. Seems like a nice upgrade from your hunting rifle."

Miyuki took it tentatively. "I don't know. This seems like it would be much harder to fire."

Konata shrugged. "Well, just hang onto it for a while. You never know when it might come in handy, like that shotgun of yours. You can always sell it later if you don't want it." Konata headed back towards the door. "Come on, there's a whole lot more loot just waiting for us to take it! I hope we can carry it all..."

Miyuki followed Konata, taking one last glance back at the Wasteland. _We really did it. Maybe life on the outside isn't so bad after all. Maybe, with Konata's help, I really can make a life for myself out here.

* * *

_

So, what do you think? I'm told that my fight scenes are well written, but capturing the dynamic action present in every good fight with nothing but words is a bit of a challenge, and I'm not always sure I can pull it off. Any feedback on what you did or didn't like would be appreciated, especially considering how many more fights are sure to come.

A few thoughts on story drama. Fallout 3 players know that this is not actually how the "Power of Atom" quest plays out, but it makes for a more exciting read than "Miyuki disarmed the bomb and Megaton was safe." That's about how it would've went if I had followed the game exactly. In fact, from a dramatic standpoint, Fallout 3 is seriously lacking. But the potential is obviously there, and I intend to keep capitalizing on it.

I'm glad that someone gets the significance of sending Akira and Minoru to Andale. I had actually planned on resolving that plotline in this chapter, but I was afraid that what I have planned would've overshadowed Miyuki and Konata's triumph.

On the subject of character death. While I find the taste of an innocent girl's blood to be delicious, I am of the firm belief that any main character death (especially in fan fiction) should be a defining moment for that character. It should establish that character as someone to be remembered as the story continues; send them off with a bang, so to speak. Should I ever decide to kill off one of the girls, it won't be from a random gunshot. It will be from a pointed, well-aimed gunshot after suitable buildup establishing the bitter relationship between the shooter and the victim, and will likely involve some form of sacrifice on the part of the victim, all accompanied by an extensive and dramatic narration intended to produce an intensely emotional scene. (Please note that this is merely a hypothetical example. I'm not saying I have plans to kill any of the girls, but I'm not discounting that possibility either. I'm merely saying such an event would not be taken lightly on my part.)

Well, I'm off to write the next chapter. Look forward to a little more backstory, some side questing, and Akira's trademark rage. And Fallout 3 guys, don't go spoiling the secret of Andale before the big reveal. ;)


	6. Revelations

"You know, I could get used to this!"

Konata took another bite from her mutfruit and lounged back in the plush chair. They were seated in the Federalist Lounge on the Tower's ground floor, and were enjoying a veritable feast of freshly cooked food taken from the Cafe Beau Monde restaurant. Miyuki took a sip of her Nuka-Cola; it was long since flat, but it was cold, having been stored in a working refrigerator, and it's two hundred year vintage gave it an odd, though not unpleasant, taste.

"Konata-san," Miyuki started, swishing the dark Cola around in it's glass bottle, "Are you certain we can just take all this?" she asked, glancing at the pile of loot Konata had collected over the past hour.

"Of course. Near as I can tell, all the residents cleared out after our fight with security. They probably won't be coming back, so anything they left behind is fair game." Konata slurped up some of her noodles before continuing. "Besides, we're doing the world a favor by taking this stuff."

Miyuki tilted her head. "We are?"

Konata nodded. "Sure are. Only the corrupt and filthy rich could live here before. But now that we've got this stuff, it'll make it's way to all the honest, hard-working Wastelanders just scraping by. We found over a hundred boxes of food, Yuki-chan. Think about how many families won't have to starve once that food is made available through the caravans. Think about the lives that'll be saved by the medical equipment we found, and the raiders that'll be killed by all these guns. And we can use the profit to equip ourselves for more dangerous adventures, where we'll find even more loot to bring back and sell to those who need it." Konata leaned back in her seat. "Sounds like a good deal all around if you ask me."

"Well," Miyuki replied, "I guess it doesn't sound so bad when you put it like that. Isn't that a lot to carry all at once though?" She took another look at the pile. Konata was apparently quite the pack rat; she had managed to cram over six hundred pounds of loot into tree bags, Miyuki's backpack, and a trunk.

"Well, it'll be slow going, for sure. But I'd rather make one long trip back home than come back here multiple times."

Miyuki nodded in agreement; despite this nice meal, she'd had quite enough of Tenpenny Tower.

"Mirelurk cake?" Konata asked, holding out a chunk of baked Mirelurk meat, another of which was hanging out of her mouth. Miyuki took it gladly; she wanted as much energy as possible if they were going to haul Konata's loot all the way back to Megaton.

* * *

"I don't know. This doesn't seem right, Akira-sama." Minoru glanced around nervously. The hall was illuminated only by a single ray of moonlight streaming in through the boarded up living room windows.

"Would you relax? If the girl really is here, then these guys are harboring a fugitive from the Enclave, and that makes them criminals, unworthy of sympathy. And if we don't find anything, then we just leave and pretend nothing happened. Now hand it over."

Akira stuck out her hand, giving Minoru an impatient glare. Minoru retrieved the basement key from his pocket and hesitantly gave it to her. Akira turned toward the door and unlocked it.

"Stay close to the walls," Akira whispered as they descended into the darkness, "Try to find a light switch. There was a light in the kitchen, so these guys have electricity. I'll go left; you go right."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and split up, hugging the walls. It wasn't long until Akira kicked a counter while walking. Stifling a curse, she reached down to feel the counter-top's contents; she was shocked to feel something wet and squishy. She raised the item to her face, trying unsuccessfully to identify it in the darkness.

"Akira-sama, I think I've found the switch!" A single dangling light bulb flickered to life, revealing the item in Akira's hand to be a bloody chunk of raw meat.

"Ugh, gross!" Akira dropped the gore and wiped her hand on the wall, leaving streaks of blood.

"A-Akira-sama?" Minoru's voice was shaking. "I think you should look at this."

Akira turned around and gasped at the grisly scene. Two counters stood in the middle of the room; each held a mutilated corpse. Several streaks of blood ran in different directions along the floor. Akira approached the counter nearest to her, staring at the corpse with more morbid curiosity than fear. The body had been disemboweled. Akira peered into the corpse; she was no doctor, but she was fairly certain that several internal organs had been removed.

"Jeez," she muttered, "I'm all for randomly slaughtering Wastelanders, but this is a little much... These must be fresh corpses too, they haven't even started to stink."

"Akira-sama, I think we should get out of here!" Akira faced Minoru and saw him staring into a refrigerator against the wall.

"Why? What's in there?"

He spun around to face her as he replied, panic edging his voice, "Human flesh! There are organs and chunks of meat in there! Akira-sama, these people are cannibals!"

"Cannibals?"Akira repeated, somehow sounding disgusted and thoughtful at the same time. "Wait, that means..." Her eyes widened at her realization.

Minoru held his head as he finished her thought. "It means they fed us human flesh!" He doubled over, retching.

"Those bastards!" Akira shouted, shock turning to anger, "They were trying to fatten us up!"

Minoru looked up at her. "You're right! We need to get out of here before they try to eat us!" Minoru started to run for the stairs, but Akira grabbed his collar and yanked him down to her eye level.

"Just where do you think you're going?" she demanded.

"B-But, Akira-sama, shouldn't we leave while we have the chance?"

"Leave? We're not leaving until these people are dead!" She shoved Minoru away and marched past him. "No one tries to eat Akira Kogami and gets away with it!"

* * *

"Phew!" Konata said as she plopped down on top of the trunk. "Quite the workout, huh Yuki-chan?"

Miyuki sat down on the trunk as well, setting her backpack on the floor. They had set the trunk down in the main room of the saloon, after slowly carrying the loot all the way back to Megaton. They had left Tenpenny Tower at 10:30 AM. A glance at her Pip-Boy told Miyuki that it was now about eight-oh-clock in the evening. Fortunately, the chance to rest and eat before setting out and the slow pace of the trip made it much less taxing on the girls then their initial sprint had been. Still, after all that had happened that day, Miyuki was more than ready to get some sleep.

Konata stood up and dumped her three bags onto the floor before stretching. "So, what's our next adventure gonna be?"

"I would much rather go to bed than discuss that, if it's all the same," Miyuki said with yawn.

Konata seemed not to hear her. "Oh, I know! We could go search for your mom! Didn't you say she was missing before?"

Miyuki's eyes suddenly widened as she remembered. "Oh my! I still need to find my mother! I had completely forgotten!"

Konata giggled. "You're so moe when you get all flustered!"

That made Miyuki more flustered. "Please don't laugh! Oh, why am I so single-minded sometimes?"

"Calm down, Yuki-chan. Finding her will be our next big adventure!"

Miyuki shook her head. "No, I've been enough of a burden to you already. You don't have to feel obligated to help me."

"Miyuki, do you really think I'd let you go chasing your mom without me? Following in her footsteps sounds like a quest if I ever heard of one, and I'm not gonna miss out on the opportunity to go."

Suddenly, Sojiro burst out from his room on the second floor. "There you two are!"

"Oh, hi Dad!" Konata greeted as Sojiro stormed down the stairs.

"Don't 'Hi Dad!' me, young lady! Just where have you two been all day? I was worried sick!"

"We were questing at Tenpenny Tower. Check out all this loot we found!" Konata gestured toward the bags and the trunk.

"Really? You found that much loot?" Sojiro said before shaking his head. "Nice try, but your not going to distract me with parental pride this time! You can't just go running off on a quest without at least telling me first! What if you had gotten crippled limbs and no one knew were you had went?"

Konata waved her hand dismissively. "Come on, Dad. I'm old enough to take care of myself, especially with Miyuki for back up. She's a real crack shot, you know."

"I don't think you get how serious this is!" Sojiro fumed, "I thought you two had gone chasing after Yukari!" Sojiro suddenly widened his eyes and covered his mouth. _Oh no! I wasn't supposed to let that slip!_

Miyuki spoke up upon hearing her mother's name. "Izumi-san, how do you know my mother's name?"

"Yeah, Dad, how do you know her mom? And why don't you want us following her?" Konata questioned.

"D-Did I say Yukari? Who's Yukari? I don't know any Yukari," Sojiro lied, rubbing the back of his head.

"Come on, Dad," Konata said, crossing her arms. "I'd expect a better lie from a scoundrel like you."

"Well, I didn't really have much to work with," he said with a sigh. "Fine. I'll tell you." He glanced at Miyuki. "This might be a bit hard for you to accept, but please try to keep an open mind. I first met your mother almost twenty years ago, back when you were still a newborn. You both stayed here in the saloon before disappearing into Vault 101." Sojiro closed his eyes and nodded thoughtfully. "I never expected someone to want to or be able to get into a vault, but she must've had a way with words."

Miyuki furrowed her brow in confusion. "But, that can't be true. My mother told me we were both born in the Vault. She would never lie to me."

"Believe what you want," Sojiro replied, "Your mother said what she needed to to keep you safe. She didn't want you to follow her, you know. She wanted you to stay in the Vault."

"That's all well and good," Konata said, "But Yuki-chan's here now, and she's gone through a lot already. There's no reason for us not to go after her mom now."

"No, Konata. I won't let you two follow her; you'll only get yourselves killed." Sojiro said sternly.

"You're not the boss of me! I'm sure we can handle whatever gets in our way."

"I said no, Konata! Neither of you are strong enough to adventure in the Downtown Ruins!" Sojiro shouted.

Konata grinned wide. "That's two slip-ups, Dad. You've really lost your edge."

Sojiro's eyes widened. "You're right! Why did I just blurt that out?"

"Where is she, Dad?" Konata pressed, "Where in Downtown?"

"I won't tell you that!"

"Fine." Konata shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to check every inch of D.C. to find her."

"You can't do that! I'll... I'll put locks on all the doors! You won't leave the saloon!"

"Don't make me laugh, Dad. I picked a very hard lock just last night!" Konata said proudly. "It took me over an hour, but still."

Sojiro gritted his teeth. _Come on, think! There has to be some way to stop them from going! _"...Fine. I'll tell you where Yukari went. I'd rather send you someplace specific then have you go wandering the ruins aimlessly," he said, shoulders slumped in defeat.

Konata gave a victorious smirk. "Ha! I knew we'd get it out of you."

"But," Sojiro started, "What you're asking for is information, and information is a commodity. Before I tell you, you're going to have to do a little favor for me. This junkie by the name of Silver borrowed quite a few caps from me a while back; claimed she could set me up with a cheap supply of Jet and Psycho. Problem is she took the caps and set herself up in Springvale so she can inject herself into a stupor. Get the one hundred caps she owes me, and Yukari's location is your's."

Konata frowned. "A fetch quest? But Dad, those are so boring!"

Sojiro shrugged. "Oh well. If you don't want to do it, then I'll just keep the information to myself." He started to walk back up the stairs. "I'm going back to bed. Let me know if you get those caps, or if you just decide to drop this crazy scheme altogether."

"Fine!" Konata called after him. "We'll go and get those caps right now! Right, Yuki-chan?" Konata faced Miyuki expectantly with a determined grin. Miyuki, however, was not quite as excited.

"If you don't mind, Konata-san, I would much prefer to get some sleep."

"Come on," Konata whined, "Don't you want to find your mom faster? Springvale's right outside Megaton; it won't even take an hour!"

"But we've been up since three in the morning!" Miyuki groaned. "Sleepy-time now, Kona-chan!"

"Kona-chan?" Konata repeated. A grin slowly spread across her face. "Miyuki, when was the last time you had some candy?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it..." Miyuki held her hand up as if to count on her fingers. She stared intently at it and brought it closer to her face. "Um... Eleventy minutes ago."

Konata chuckled. "Well, you need some candy, so we'll go have sleepy-time at the candy store."

"Fine. Let's go now." Miyuki said as she grumpily shoved past Konata.

"You know, you're real easy to trick when you crash." Konata remarked.

"And don't you forget it!" Miyuki said before running into the wall. "Door is stupid!" she whined as she grasped for a nonexistent doorknob.

"Come on," Konata snickered, "Door is this way, I'll hold your hand."

"Okay, but no kissing until you buy me dinner!"

Konata burst into laughter as she dragged Miyuki through the door.

* * *

"Where the hell are they?" Akira practically shouted as they left the house. The only person in the house had been Junior Smith, whom Akira had left sleeping soundly.

"Akira-sama, shouldn't you keep your voice down?" Minoru cautioned as he quietly closed the door.

"Why? I w_ant_ them to find us. There's no way I'm letting them live after what they pulled. Wait... there they are!"

In the dim moonlight, four adult figures could be seen coming from behind the Wilson's house across the street. Minoru gulped and glanced at Akira, who was leaning back against the door with her arms crossed. He looked back at the Andale residents as they approached, and was dismayed to see them carrying weapons. Jack was wielding a sawed-off shotgun, and Mr. Wilson had a scoped magnum revolver. Their wives, Linda and Martha, were holding knives. They grouped around Minoru and Akira, cornering them against the house.

"Hey there, strangers," Jack said, hints of malice in his voice, "I've got something I want to talk to you about. I couldn't help but notice that you were poking around in my basement. So be honest now, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Minoru started to sweat when Akira said nothing. "I really don't know what you're talking about, Jack..." Minoru lied.

"Look stranger, I'm not angry. I just want you to tell me the truth. If you can't do that, then I think you'd best head on out of town."

"That's a great idea! I'll just be going then!"

"Stop!" Akira commanded as Minoru tried to slip away. "Yeah, we were in the basement."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And did you see anything... unexpected down there?"

"You know, now that you mention it, there were a bunch of bodies down there." Akira replied almost casually.

"And do you have any thoughts on that?"

"Yes. I think you're all a bunch of backwards savages who tried to put the wrong girl on your menu."

Jack shook his head. "I'm disappointed in you stranger, so quick to judge us. Did you ever stop to think that we have families to support here? 'Judge not, lest ye be judged,' as the good book says. Honestly, how many people have you killed?"

Akira smirked. "More than you think, pal."

"Well, the only difference between us is that I'm bringing home the bacon for my family."

Akira scowled. "Seriously, you're talking about eating people here. What's wrong with you?"

"I don't think I like your tone. There's nothing wrong with us, we've lived this way for decades. Family first, that's the way it's been in Andale ever since the day the first four families decided to stay here. I wouldn't expect a couple of wasteland wanders like you to understand."

"Sorry, Jack. You've crossed Akira Kogami, and you have to die. You and your sick little town."

"Well, I guess we know where our next meal is coming from then, don't we?"

Akira twisted and bent over backwards, simultaneously kicking Minoru away and dodging the first shell of buckshot. She used her momentum to cartwheel backwards, dodging the second shell, along with scattered shots from Wilson's magnum. As she landed on her feet, she thrust her arms forward and out of her sleeves, revealing her dual laser pistols. She delivered three precision shots to Wilson; one to his weapon hand, and two to his forehead. Jack fumbled to reload his shotgun, but he wasn't fast enough. By the time he closed the action, Akira had closed the distance and delivered a sharp vertical kick, sending his shotgun skyward. Five point-blank laser burns to the chest ended his life before he could even react. Akira then dropped straight down the ground, avoiding dual slashes from Linda and Martha. She performed a full leg sweep, knocking both women to the ground. Standing as they fell, Akira delivered a single headshot to each, ending the short fight.

Minoru, who had been cowering on the ground the whole time, slowly stood. "Akira-sama... I didn't realize you were such a good fighter!"

"That was nothing," Akira spat, still staring down at Jack's corpse. "These people were pathetic. A complete waste of time." She strapped the pistols to her thighs and began to walk down the road out of town. Minoru hurried to catch up.

"So what now?" he asked.

"You heard me before. No one crosses Akira Kogami and lives. We're going to Fairfax."

* * *

"How much farther?" Miyuki whined as Konata lead her down Springvale's main street.

"Just a little more Yuki-chan, it has to be close by. Aha! That's gotta be it!" Konata pointed at what appeared to be Springvale's only intact dwelling, a small one story ranch house. She opened the door and stepped inside. "Anyone home?" she called out.

A woman appeared from another room. "Who the hell are you? And why are you barging into my house?"

"I'll ask the questions here, ma'am," Konata replied, trying to play bad cop. "Are you Silver?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, who wants to know?"

"I've come on behalf of Sojiro Izumi. If you'd just hand over the caps you owe him, then we can leave without any trouble."

"Sojiro? What are you talking about? I don't owe him caps!"

"Miss, it's really in your best interest to hand over the money. You wouldn't want me and my associate to have to get rough with you, would you?"

Silver gave a skeptical look. A girl half her size with a tripped-out looking sidekick didn't seem like much of a threat. "Look, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I don't owe anything to Sojiro! I haven't even seen the guy for almost twenty years!"

Konata looked confused. "Twenty years?"

"That's right. Now get out of my house before I shoot you out!"

_Something's not right here,_ Konata thought, _The only way we're gonna get anything from her is if we fight her. I could kill her easy, but it doesn't seem like she's lying._ "Alright, alright, we're going. Come on, Miyuki," Konata said as she started to push Miyuki out of the house.

"Kona-chan! Where's the candy store?" Miyuki complained once they were outside.

Konata sighed before digging the Mentats out from Miyuki's pocket and giving her one. Miyuki blinked repeatedly as the Mentat kicked in and her senses sharpened.

"K-Konata-san!" she exclaimed once her head cleared. "Why are we in Springvale?"

"Well, you weren't agreeing to come out here, so I tricked you when you crashed," Konata replied shamelessly.

"Tricked me? Th-That wasn't nice!"

Konata shrugged. "It's your own fault for not taking a Mentat. Didn't you notice the symptoms popping up?"

"I had attributed the symptoms to sleep deprivation," Miyuki said, rubbing her eyes. "I presume that you found Silver while we were out here?"

"Yeah, except I don't think she actually took caps from my dad." Konata thought for a moment. "Yuki-chan, are you still tired?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm not, actually. It seems the Mentat rush woke me up. Why?"

"I think I may know of another way to get Dad's information."

* * *

"You want to find your mom, right Yuki-chan?"

"Yes, but is it really alright for us to break into your father's computer?" Konata had picked the lock to Sojiro's office, allowing them access to his personal computer terminal.

"Sure it is! Dad definitely would've kept a record of where Yukari went; all you have to do is hack his computer so we can find it. Besides, what's the worst he'll do if he finds out?"

Miyuki sighed as she pressed the power button. The green monochrome screen lit up.

WELCOME TO ROBCO INDUSTRIES (TM) TERMLINK

Miyuki typed in the string of commands to bring up the debug mode.

}SET TERMINAL/INQUIRE

RIT V-300

}SET FILE/PROTECTION=OWNER:RWED ACCOUNTS.F

}SET HALT RESTART/MAINT

Initializing Robco Industries (TM) MF Boot Agent v2.3.0

RETROS BIOS

RBIOS- 52EE5.E7.E8

Copyright 2201-2203 Robco Ind.

UPPERMEM: 64 KB

ROOT (5A8)

Maintenance Mode

}RUN DEBUG/ACCOUNTS.F

Konata sweatdropped. "Wow. You really know what you're doing, huh?"

"This part is actually fairly simple," Miyuki said modestly as she pressed ENTER. Konata's sweatdrops multiplied as dozens of code strings composed of seemingly random characters filled the screen.

"I used to perform maintenance on the lab computer back in Vault 101. I learned some tricks from Stanley, our maintenance technician," Miyuki said as she cheerfully tapped away on the keyboard, effortlessly manipulating the endless stream of code strings. "See these words mixed in with the code?" She paused to point at the screen. Konata nodded. "Those are actually decoy passwords generated by the system," she explained as she started typing again. "This feature was developed because the terminal password can appear in the debug code. When four decoy passwords are entered, the system locks down. However, one of the decoys actually serves as a command to reveal the password. You simply have to figure out which decoy leads to the password."

"Uh, I only understood half of that..." Konata admitted as Miyuki flipped through screen after screen of code strings.

"I'm sorry. I suppose I was speaking a bit technically. This kind of thing is really second nature to me."

She typed in the word CIRCUITRY.

"I must be honest, without the Mentats this would've taken me much longer."

She pressed ENTER.

"There, an exact match. I've found the password."

Konata's eyes widened. "Wait, really? You already cracked it?"

Miyuki eyesmiled. "Indeed. It seems your father's password is... 'lolicon'?"

Konata smacked her forehead. "Duh! I should have guessed that!"

Miyuki tilted her head. "Why? What is 'lolicon'?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. So we can log on to Dad's computer now?"

"Indeed." Miyuki reset the terminal and typed in the log on command.

}LOGON ADMIN

ENTER PASSWORD NOW

}LOLICON

The screen displayed a list of folders, one of which was titled "Visitors." Miyuki highlighted it and pressed ENTER, bringing them to a list of names.

"There she is!" Konata exclaimed, pointing at an entry labeled "Yukari (Vault 101)."

Miyuki activated it and was brought to a journal entry. She read it out loud. "So, out of nowhere, Yukari came back to Megaton. Since she stayed here before she asked me where to go to figure out what's going on in the world. I told her about Galaxy News Radio in the ruins of D.C., and that guy Three Dog. Then like that, she was gone again.

"I remember the first time she showed up almost twenty years ago. She and Kanata got along well, and she had a baby girl with her the same age as Konata. She stayed at the saloon for a couple nights, and then she disappears into Vault 101 for almost twenty years. Really nice lady, but she's so clumsy and absent-minded it's almost moe."

"That's it!" Konata exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "That's where we're going, Yuki-chan! To Galaxy News Radio!"

"K-Konata? Miyuki? What are you doing in here?" The girls turned to see a shocked looking Sojiro standing in the door.

"S-Sojiro-san!" Miyuki looked down at her feet guiltily, her face red with shame. "I apologize!"

"Don't be sorry, Miyuki," Konata said, "We beat him fair and square. There's nothing you can do to stop us now, Dad! Yuki-chan hacked your computer and found out that Yukari went to Galaxy News Radio!"

Miyuki turned redder at the mention of her name. "I'm sorry Sojiro-san, but I have to see my mother again!"

"B-But, you two can't leave! It's far too dangerous in D.C.! The entire place is filled with Super Mutants! Your levels aren't high enough to fight them! Besides, you can't just leave me all alone! I like having you two around, just look how adorable you are!" Sojiro thrust forward a photograph depicting Miyuki and Konata sleeping together.

Miyuki's eyes bulged as a dark blush spread across her face. "Y-You actually took a photo of us that night?"

Konata scrutinized the photo. "You're right, Dad. We are adorable," she said with a nod of approval. "But that still doesn't change anything. We're going to Galaxy News, tomorrow!"

Sojiro let out a deep sigh. "I suppose there's really no stopping you is there? And here I thought you would just give up after finding out that Silver didn't owe me any money. I should have known you would find another way to get the information."

Konata smirked. "Sorry, Dad. Looks like you taught me too well!"

"I suppose. I can only hope that your strong wills and commitment will keep you two safe. Now, you two should get to bed. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."

"You're right," Miyuki said with a yawn. "I think my Mentats are wearing off anyway." She stood and walked to the door, pausing before leaving. "I'd like to say that I'm sorry about hacking your computer, once again."

Sojiro smiled. "It's alright. Good luck tomorrow, Miyuki."

Miyuki smiled back. "Thank you, Sojiro-san." She left the room, leaving Konata and her father alone.

"So," Sojiro said after several seconds, "Miyuki didn't happen to find the pictures on my computer, right?"

"Don't worry," Konata chuckled as she started toward the door. "Your secret stash is safe."

* * *

"This isn't over yet," Akira declared as she marched down into the valley separating Andale from Fairfax. Minoru looked worried.

"But Akira-sama, they must have heavy weapons in Fairfax if they shot down our Vertibird."

"Doesn't matter," Akira replied, not even bothering to glance at him. "I'm still going to kill them all. Just stay out of my way." Minoru decided to stay silent; there was no changing her mind.

They continued on past an overturned trailer and ruined overpass before reaching the Fairfax. The sky was slowly lighting up as the sun poked over the eastern horizon. Akira surveyed the ruined buildings before pressing on down the main street, with Minoru following nervously. They came to an intersection. Hanging from the streetlight was a mutilated corpse.

"Raiders," Akira snarled, "They think they're so badass." She looked back down at the street and stopped, holding her arm out and stopping Minoru suddenly.

"What is it?" Minoru asked fearfully.

Akira pointed at the ground. "Landmines. Watch your step."

They walked around the scattered mines and turned right up a small incline, heading for some makeshift plywood barriers that formed a gate. Leaving Minoru by the gate, Akira marched down the street until she spotted a group of raiders standing in the courtyard of a theater.

"Hey!" she shouted. The raiders turned to face her. "You jackasses have a lot of nerve, taking shots at an Enclave Vertibird. You should have made sure we were dead; now you're going to pay for your mistake!"

The raiders started laughing. "Check it out!" one of them shouted. "This kid is seriously trying to threaten us!"

Akira scowled and drew her laser pistols. She fired off a quick volley of shots, burning straight through the closest raider. The others stopped, surprised for a moment, but they quickly retaliated. Akira jumped sideways away from a shotgun blast, firing her pistols in rapid succession. The beams struck the raider's torso several times before the final beam burned through his head.

The closest raider lunged forward, swinging an L-shaped tire iron at Akira. She ducked to the side, holstering her pistol as she dodged. She grabbed the tire iron and spun sharply, tearing it from the raider's grip. She leaped straight up as she spun, swinging the tire iron around a full circle before slamming it into the back of the raider's neck, snapping it.

As the corpse fell, a frag grenade landed at her feet. She dove behind the corpse, propping it up and allowing it to take the shrapnel. Akira sprung up and dashed trough the cloud of dust from the explosion. The raider primed another grenade as she closed on him, but she kicked it aside before he could even throw it. Using the momentum from the kick, Akira spun her back to the raider, delivering an elbow strike to his gut. She sent a punch straight up, pulling the trigger as her pistol connected with the raider's chin.

Akira threw her pistols to the ground as the corpse fell over behind her. "Come on!" she shouted at the buildings around her. "Come out, you cowards! Come and fight me!" After a moment, she spotted several raiders emerging from different buildings. "Well? Come and get me!"

The raiders fired, spewing 5.56mm and .32 rounds from their assault rifles and hunting rifles. Akira quickly backed into a nearby bus stop to avoid the spray of bullets. After several seconds, the majority of the guns died down, and a group of raiders armed with melee weapons closed on her as the gunners reloaded. Akira grinned viciously. "My turn."

A Ripper emerged from Akira's sleeve. She squeezed the trigger mechanism as she ran out from cover, revving the chainsaw knife. The small Enclave officer literally carved through the charging raiders, her Ripper spraying blood with each slash and stab. Sparks flew as she clashed with the raider's knives, and she even cut through a sledgehammer handle straight into its owner. She turned to faced the gunners, who stood awestruck at the carnage this young girl could cause. Akira thrust her other arm out towards them, revealing an Enclave plasma pistol. The powerful sidearm sent green blasts of concentrated plasma into the raider's ranks, quickly burning through two before they returned fire.

Akira charged headlong into the stream of bullets, taking only a few grazing hits from the panicked raiders. By the time she reached the group, four more raiders had fallen to her plasma pistol. The rest met their end in a swirling storm of Ripper teeth and plasma and blood.

As the last gunner fell, a loud _WHOOSH!_ brought Akira's attention behind her. She barely had time to move out of the missile's way as it rushed towards her. She raised her pistol to take a shot at the attacker, only to find that her energy cell had run out of power. The raider launched a second missile, forcing Akira to duck out of the way. The projectile struck the ground close behind her however, and the explosive force sent her flying forward to the ground. She glared at the raider as she stood, revving her Ripper. She spun sideways to dodge the next missile and charged at the raider. Another missile came flying halfway through her charge, sending her into a dive to dodge it. Barely avoiding the projectile, she rolled to her feet and finished her dash to the raider as he was loading another missile. Akira lunged forward, burying her Ripper in the raider's gut and dragging it up his torso in a spray of blood and gore. The heavy missile launcher slammed to the ground as it's owner's mangled carcass fell. Akira loomed over the corpse, grinning at her handiwork.

"Akira-sama," Minoru murmured. "That... That was amazing!" He surveyed the bloody street. "So brutal... I'd heard tales of your skill in combat, but to see it first hand..."

Akira turned to face him, smiling sweetly. "I told you that I'm the best!" she stated matter-of-factly.

Minoru frowned; it was unsettling to see her using her cute persona while she was covered in blood. "So, where did you get those weapons, Akira-sama? I didn't even know you were carrying them."

"What, these?" Akira held up the deadly machines. "Well, I found this Ripper laying around in Jack's basement." The weapon resembled a knife, except it had a lever running perpendicular to the handle and small metal teeth running up the back of the blade and down the front. The teeth sped up and slowed back down as Akira squeezed and released the lever. "I figured he wouldn't need it anymore, so I took it!"

She retracted the Ripper into her sleeve and held up the plasma pistol. "I swiped this from the armory before we left the base." As she replaced the energy cell in the weapon's housing, green arcs of energy sprung from the five secondary cathodes to the long central one. Cables ran down the length of the barrel, connecting the various components. "I know the Colonel said not to bring plasma weapons," Akira flipped on the safety, disabling the energy arcs before retracting the pistol into her sleeve. "But I like to keep a few tricks up my sleeves!"

Akira started to skip down the street, and Minoru followed. "Akira-sama, why are you acting cheerful? I'm the only one here."

"Jeez, Shiraishi-san! What a mean thing to say!"Akira pouted, "A girl can't be happy unless she's trying to trick someone, is that it? You should enjoy my good mood while it lasts!"

"I'm sorry," Minoru replied, "So where are we going now?"

"Take a guess."

"Megaton?"

"Yes! And why are we going to Megaton?"

Minoru thought for a moment. "Because it's still our only lead on Miyuki Takara, and you want to get back at the sheriff?"

Akira turned and gave him an eyesmile. "Yeah! Now you're catching on!"

* * *

Greetings, my few but faithful readers! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. As always, any criticism is welcome, though it seems I've been doing alright thus far, since no one's really complained about anything.

So, what'd you think of Akira this time around? It occurs to me that her fights might seem over the top to some, but I was trying to establish her as a badass; you know, someone for the other characters to fear. Plus, besides the snark, excessive violence seems to be the best way to carry her mean side over into Fallout. But that's just my opinion.

InsertRandomUsernameHere mentioned the possibility of otaku stuff being in Tenpenny Tower. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but Konata and Miyuki didn't find any such stuff, and here's why. While keeping the Lucky Star characters true to the originals (within the context of a post-nuclear wasteland, of course) is paramount, I also have an obligation to keep the Fallout world "in character" as well. The best way to describe the (pre-war) Fallout world is as a "retro-futuristic world of tomorrow." Much of the world is based on what people of the 50's thought the future would be like, from the designs of robots, cars, and buildings, to the widespread use of nuclear power. So think about it. Where does anime and manga, which didn't leave Japan until the 80's, fit into a world based on the American 50's? The answer I've come up with: it doesn't. In my version of the Fallout world, otaku stuff was rare even before the war. Like, really rare. As such, any kind of anime or manga stuff is only going to be around to help with characterization, such as Konata's collection. Don't despair too much though. Konata's not the only otaku in the wastes; I can say at the very least there are two others. You can probably guess their names.

I would like to let everyone know that I'll be taking a quick break from writing this. Don't freak out, I've just got to finish a bunch of schoolwork that I've been letting pile up. The good news is that after that, nothing should get in the way of my writing until September, so that's good.

It might seem odd to ask this, considering I can barely keep up with this fic, but it's been on my mind for a while. If I wrote other crossovers like this one, you know, mundane characters in a fantastic setting, do you think anyone would read them? Would you guys read them? Because I've got some ideas for more fics in this style, like Haruhi Suzumiya/Borderlands, or even Azumanga Daioh/Gears of War. Granted, it'll be a long time before anything like that makes it to paper, but do you think it could work? I'm a little iffy on the idea myself; it's much harder to fit the characters into games like those because they're more linear. But I figured I'd see what you guys think.

Well, that's about it for now. The next chapter will focus more on Miyuki and, if all goes to plan, a new Lucky Star character! I bet you guys can't wait to see who it is.

Fun fact! It actually does take nine and a half in-game hours to walk from Tenpenny Tower to Megaton while overencumbered. I know. It was the most boring thirty minutes I've ever spent in Fallout 3. And with that, I bid you farewell. See you all next time.

Last minute comment! FFN messed up the formating for the computer hacking part. I apologize if it's confusing to read.


	7. Out with the old, in with the new

"Wake up! Wake up! Come on, you have to wake up!"

Miyuki shielded her eyes from Vault 101's harsh fluorescent lights as she sat up in bed. "Amata?" she asked drowsily, "What's wrong?"

"You've got to get out of here," Amata replied, sounding on the verge of panic. "Your mom is gone and my father's men are looking for you!"

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"She's left the Vault! I don't know how, but she's gone, and my father... I've never seen him so angry. He ordered the guards to beat Jonas..." Amata hesitated and averted her eyes. "To death."

Miyuki's eyes bulged. "Wh-What? Jonas is dead?"

Amata nodded, still avoiding Miyuki's eyes. "My father's men think Jonas helped your mom escape. They caught him and brought him to my dad's office and... they beat him... they just wouldn't stop..."

Miyuki felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She had known Jonas for as long as she could remember. She tried to not dwell on the fact that he was gone. "Are you okay, Amata?"

Amata wiped a tear from her own eye. "Yeah. Don't worry about me. I'm just sorry you had to find out like this. I know Jonas was your friend." Her tone shifted to one of urgency. "But we've got to go now. My father's men will be here any minute, and if they find you, they'll kill you too!"

Miyuki gulped. "You're right." She rose to her feet from the bed. "I can't stay here. But where do I go?"

"Well," Amata started, "I think you'll have to follow your mom. You have to escape from the Vault."

Miyuki sighed. "I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

"I'm afraid not, it's your only chance."

"But how do we leave the Vault? We can't just walk up to the door and open it."

"Don't worry," Amata said as she retrieved Miyuki's backpack from her dresser. "I have a plan to help you escape." She pulled the drawer out from the desk and dumped the contents into the backpack before handing it to Miyuki. "There's a secret tunnel that leads directly from my father's office to the exit. You'll have to hack the computer in his office to open it."

Miyuki nodded as she tucked her BB gun and her baseball bat into the straps of her backpack. "Alright. I'll find a way to reach your father's office."

"Oh, one more thing," Amata said as she pulled a 10mm pistol out from her pocket. "I stole my father's pistol. I hope you won't need it, but you'd better take it just in case."

Miyuki hesitantly took the weapon. "Thank you, Amata. I'll only use it as a last resort. I promise."

Amata nodded. "Okay. I'll try to meet you at the exit," Amata said as she made her way to the door. "Watch out for security. Good luck."

Miyuki watched Amata leave before looking down at the pistol in her hand and tucking it into her pocket. _I hope I never have to use this. _Miyuki cautiously left her quarters and began to make her way down the hallway. As she neared the end of the hall, Security Officer Kendall rounded the corner and spotted her.

"There you are! Hold it right there!"

Miyuki froze as he drew his police baton, but something else soon caught their attention. A trio of radroaches broke out from a ventilation duct and began attacking Kendall. "Criminey, more roaches!" he shouted as he tried batting them away with his baton. He managed to killed one, but the others proved relentless. Before long, they had knocked him down and started tearing through his skin with their sharp mandibles.

Once Kendall stopped moving, the roaches turned their attention towards Miyuki, who had been too afraid to move up until now. She quickly backed away once the roaches started toward her, fumbling for her baseball bat. The first roach lunged forward at her, but she managed to bring her bat up in a block, bunting the roach to the ground. She quickly stomped down on the pest, crushing it under her boot. The second roach lunged for her, but she was ready. She swung her bat, sending the roach flying and splattering guts on the wall.

Miyuki sighed with relief before rushing to Kendall. The roaches had chewed through his jumpsuit in several places, though the armor pads on his torso were unscathed. Unfortunately, one of the roaches had managed to bite through the artery in his neck. Miyuki didn't need her years of medical experience to determine that he was dead.

_This is really happening. People are dying. I could die. Is this really all because of my mother?_ Miyuki pushed her thoughts aside; she had to keep moving. As she continued, a loudspeaker mounted on the wall buzzed to life.

"This is the Overseer. All residents of Vault 101 are hereby confined to their quarters. The radroach infestation is under control. Do not interfere with Vault Security personnel. Any resident found outside his or her quarters will be dealt with. Severely. That is all."

Miyuki frowned as the loudspeaker went silent. She moved on, making a mental note to avoid any more members of security. She had nearly reached the end of the apartment block when she heard movement down the hall to her left. Miyuki tensed and readied her bat; to her her surprise, however, the person turned out to be Butch.

"You gotta help me!" Butch said when he saw her, "My mom's trapped in there with the radroaches!"

Miyuki frowned; as cruel as Butch had been over the years, she didn't want anyone else to die if she could help it. But she couldn't afford to be sidetracked, not with the guards looking for her. "I-I'm sorry, Butch, but I have to keep moving."

"Please! I know I've always been a jerk towards you. I know it! But you can't walk away and let her die, just because I was an asshole! Please... I'm begging you!"

Miyuki thought for a moment; she wasn't any more qualified to fight than Butch was, but there had to be some way she could help. "Here, take this." Miyuki retrieved her BB gun and handed it to Butch. "You can use it to kill the roaches."

"Wow, where'd you get this?" Butch asked as he examined the gun. "Okay, okay. Maybe I can do this. Alright, I'm gonna go back in there and kill those damn roaches. Thanks!"

Miyuki sighed as Butch ran off; she was going to miss her BB gun, though truthfully she wasn't going to need it anymore. She continued through the Vault, passing by the diner and her mother's clinic before reaching the entrance to the atrium. From the side corridor, Miyuki could see Tom and Mary Holden standing in the atrium.

"We should just go back to our quarters." Mary said nervously.

"It's our only chance, don't you see?" Tom replied. "We're getting out of here, just like the doctor. I'm not going to let anyone stop us." With that, Tom ran out into the open, headed towards the door to the main entrance chamber. "It's me! Tom Holden! Just let me through!"

"Tom! Be careful!" Mary called after him, but it was too late. Officer Richards and Officer O'Brian fired their pistols at Tom, gunning him down as he approached. "Tom! No!"

Miyuki could only watch in horror as Mary charged out into the open, meeting the same fate as Tom. _This is terrible! I knew they were searching for me, but I never imagined the guards would kill the other residents!_

Miyuki felt like crying, but she held back her tears; now was not the time to lose her head. She carefully sneaked out into the atrium, making sure to stay out of the guards' sight. She skirted the large roomuntil she came to the door to the atrium's upper level. She ascended the stairs, squashing a pair of roaches with her bat on her way before continuing along the balcony towards the systems room.

"You!"

Miyuki jumped and turned to face the voice, finding Allen Mack shouting at her through the window of his apartment.

"This is all your fault! You and your stupid mother! She had to go and leave, didn't she? She had to mess things up for everybody!"

Miyuki decided to keep moving, trying to ignore the hurtful words; getting into an argument with Wally's father wouldn't do her any good. She arrived in the systems room, finding a group of radroaches feeding on the corpse of maintenance technician Floyd Lewis. She quickly attacked the insects, managing to dispatch them before they could react. Miyuki stepped back and sighed at the scene. The sight of death was becoming disturbingly commonplace for her.

Suddenly, Miyuki felt a sharp, painful strike on her back, causing her to stumble forward. She quickly spun around to find Security Chief Hannon standing behind her, wielding a police baton. "I knew you'd turn up sooner or later!" he said as he slowly approached her. He suddenly lunged forward, hitting Miyuki in the arm with his police baton. Miyuki flinched and quickly backed away. "Please stop it! I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Hannon ignored her and swung again. Miyuki's bat was ready this time, however. She blocked the blow and continued backing away. Unfortunately, she was soon backed into a wall of large servers. Hannon repeatedly swung his baton until Miyuki reluctantly launched a counter attack. Miyuki struck Hannon in the side of his head, knocking his security helmet to the ground. He angrily swung his baton, but Miyuki ducked to the side and swung at his legs. As Hannon stumbled from the blow, Miyuki swung her bat up in an uppercut, sending Hannon to the ground.

Miyuki frantically rushed down to his side to check his pulse. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she confirmed that he was merely unconscious. There had been far too much death that day; the last thing Miyuki wanted was to add to it. She left the systems room and entered administration. As she walked down the hallway, Miyuki stopped when she heard Amata's voice.

"I told you, I don't know anything!" The voice was coming from the security office up ahead. Miyuki hurried towards it and cautiously looked in the window. Amata was seated inside the office, with the Overseer and Officer Steve Mack standing over her.

"Be reasonable, Amata," the Overseer said, "Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I don't. Just tell us where to find your friend so we can talk to her."

"She's my friend. I was worried about her. What does she have to do with any of this anyway?"

"Probably nothing, which is why you need to tell me where she is so I can talk to her." He turned to Officer Mack. "Go ahead, officer."

Mack grinned as he raised his police baton in the air. "You'd better talk, girlie!" He brought the baton down in a savage strike, causing Amata to cry out in pain.

"That's enough, officer," the Overseer said. "Now then, are you ready to tell me where your friend has gone? There's no need for any more of this."

Amata glared up at her father. "I'm not telling you anything! And don't pretend you aren't enjoying this, Daddy. You're sick!"

The Overseer shook his head. "Amata, darling. Why must you be so stubborn? The last thing I want is to see you hurt, but my duty to the Vault comes first. Again."

Miyuki couldn't watch anymore of this. She quickly opened the door and stepped inside. "Please stop! We can talk about this! There's no reason for anyone to get hurt!"

"Miyuki? What are you doing here? Run!" Amata cried.

"N-No! I'm not just going to leave you here, Amata!"

The Overseer scowled. "She's not going anywhere with the likes of you! You're a traitor to Vault 101. Officer Mack, show her how we deal with traitors."

Mack sneered at Miyuki. "With pleasure!"

The security officer lunged at Miyuki, delivering a harsh blow with his baton. Miyuki managed to block with her bat, but the blow knocked her off balance. Mack pounced on this opportunity, delivering a flurry of vicious blows. Before long, Miyuki's bat was knocked out of her hands, leaving her vulnerable. Mack rammed into her with his shoulder, throwing her down to the floor.

"This is too easy!" he laughed as he stood over her. "I'm amazed you made it this far!" Officer Mack began repeatedly beating Miyuki, leaving dark bruises wherever his baton struck her.

"Please, stop it!" Miyuki cried out tearfully. But it was no use; she was helpless beneath his onslaught.

"Get off of her!" Amata cried as she grabbed Mack's arm and tried to pull him away from Miyuki. Mack wouldn't budge, however. Instead, he elbowed Amata square in the chin, sending her recoiling back. He turned back to Miyuki and found himself facing down a 10mm pistol. The barrel flashed several times before Mack dropped to the ground, dead.

Miyuki slowly rose to her feet, tears streaming down her cheeks. She pointed her pistol at the Overseer as she spoke. "Why are you doing all this? How could you beat your own daughter?"

"I place the good of the Vault above everything, even my own paternal feelings," The Overseer replied. "We must not allow sentiment to cloud our judgment! If you really care about Amata, you will see how dangerous your mother's actions were. Hand over your weapons, and put an end to this dangerous situation."

Miyuki scowled. "Is that what you said to Jonas before you killed him?"

"A regrettable incident. But will killing me bring back your friend? Think a moment. If you really care about your fellow citizens, killing me is the worst thing you could do. Without an Overseer, the Vault would be plunged into chaos and disaster. Surely you can see that as well as I. Come now, turn yourself in and we can resolve this whole thing peacefully. Just because your mother betrayed us doesn't mean you have to."

"My mother never betrayed anyone! You're the one who started killing people!" Miyuki shouted.

"Save your sanctimony. The world is a dangerous place and I make no apologies for doing whatever it takes to keep the vault safe. Besides, you're one to talk about murderers."

"That's not fair, Dad," Amata cut in. "If she didn't shoot Officer Mack, then she'd be dead. We're better off without that psycho anyway."

The Overseer snorted. "If there's anyone we're better off without, it's this traitorous misfit right here."

"Why do you hate me so much?" Miyuki cried. "I've never done anything to hurt anyone!"

"I have my reasons, and I don't have to explain them to you. I will say that I knew you and your mother would be trouble the moment you came into my vault." The Overseer crossed his arms. "Now, if you're going to shoot me, then do it. Otherwise, quit waving that pistol around like someone important."

Miyuki glared at the Overseer, her finger twitching. Suddenly, she threw the pistol to the ground and ran from the room.

"That's right, run! Just like your mother!"

"Miyuki, wait!" Amata called as she retrieved Miyuki's bat. "Let her go, Amata. She's just a worthless coward."

Amata turned and pointed the bat at her father threateningly. "You be quiet! Miyuki is my friend; I'm going to help her escape the Vault, and you're not going to stop me." With that, she left the security office, sealing the door behind her. She ran down the hallway to the administration lobby, again sealing the door behind her. Inside she found Miyuki crouched beside Jonas' body, crying freely.

"Hey," Amata said as she crouched down next to Miyuki, "You feeling okay?"

Miyuki shook her head. "I killed Officer Mack. I'm a murderer!" she sobbed.

"It's okay," Amata said as she placed a hand on Miyuki's back. "You're not a murderer. If you were, then you would have killed my father."

"But I wanted to! I almost did!"

"But you didn't. That's what matters. Thank you, by the way. I don't know what my father might have done to me if you hadn't come along. Here." Amata pulled a stimpak from her pocket and slid the needle into Miyuki's wrist. The bruises on her cheek and forehead started to fade as the medicine took effect.

"I never wanted any of this," Miyuki said, looking Amata in the eyes. "I didn't want anyone to die."

"None of us did. But what's done is done. We can't stop now. We have to get you out of here."

Miyuki nodded and stood up, wiping tears from her eyes. "You're right. The only way we can fix everything is if I find my mother."

Amata opened the door to her father's office and led Miyuki to the terminal on the back wall. "Here it is. You know more about this stuff then I do."

Miyuki booted the computer and entered debug mode. "It seems your father never expected anyone to access his terminal," Miyuki commented after a few minutes of scrolling through code. "The encryption is very weak." She typed the word "STARS" into the command bar, revealing the password to be "Amata." She rebooted the terminal, entered the password, and selected the command "Open Overseer's Tunnel."

The large circular desk behind them lifted off the floor, revealing the tunnel beneath it. They descended the stairs, activating a switch on the wall at the bottom and resealing the tunnel over them. They continued through two manual maintenance hatches before reaching a second switch. The switch opened a secret door leading into Vault 101's entrance chamber.

"Wow," Amata said, gazing at the bulkhead. "I've never been in here before. I can't believe we're going to open the Vault."

"Neither can I," Miyuki replied. She approached the control pad and pulled the main lever. An alarm klaxon sounded as the ancient machinery hissed to life. A mechanical arm swung down from the ceiling, it's hinges creaking from years of neglect. The arm attached itself to a special port built into the door before pulling the whole thing back, causing a deafening metal screech. Fresh air rushed in along the edges of the door, filling the room with an earthy scent. When it had been pulled from the doorway completely, the cog-shaped door rolled to the side on a special track, revealing a long cave leading to a gate outside.

"You actually opened it..." Amata murmured as she stared outside. "You opened the door! My God, I almost didn't believe it was possible."

Miyuki gave Amata a smile. "I couldn't have done it without your help, Amata."

Amata shook her head. "No, you didn't need me. If anyone can survive out there, it's you."

Miyuki thought for a moment "Why don't you come with me?" she offered.

"It's tempting, but... my place is here. The Vault needs me more than you do. I'm the only one who has a chance to talk some sense into my father."

Miyuki nodded. "I understand."

"Here," Amata handed Miyuki her bat. "I get the feeling you're going to need this. Listen, if you do catch up with your mother, tell her I'm sorry. For... you know, Jonas and my father and everything. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Amata."

Miyuki turned to leave, when the door behind them was thrown open, allowing several security officers to enter the chamber.

"There she is! Don't let her get away!" Two of the officers began firing their pistols, while one ran to the control pad and flipped the switch. The door began to roll back into place, prompting Miyuki to sprint for the opening. 10mm rounds slammed into the ground at her feet as she dove through the door into an intense light, nearly being crushed as the door slid back into place.

* * *

Miyuki shot straight up into a sitting position as she woke up, sweating and breathing heavily.

"Whoa, watch it!" Konata shouted as she jumped back. "You nearly headbutted me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Um, were you watching me sleep?" Miyuki asked.

"Yeah. You looked like you were having one heck of a nightmare."

Miyuki looked down at the ground. "It was nothing. I'm fine."

Konata shrugged. "If you say so. Anyway, you'd better get dressed; we head down to D.C. today." Konata tossed Miyuki's clothes to her. "By the way, Sheriff Simms wants to talk to you. I'll meet up with you by the gate when you're ready." Konata paused at the door. "Don't take too long, though. Your mom has a big head start on us. We gotta hurry if we want to catch her!"

After Konata left, Miyuki picked up her backpack and dumped it's contents onto the bed. There really hadn't been much in Miyuki's desk drawer when she left; a tin of BB's for a gift she no longer owned, a worn baseball and mitt to accompany her trusty bat, a brittle comic book passed down from the man who tried to kill her, and a Vault-Tec bobblehead given by her mother as a birthday present. She picked up the bobblehead and read the inscription on the base: "The smart man knows a bandage only hides his wounds." She absentmindedly glanced at Konata's shelf. _I wonder if any of Konata's things hold any memories for her..._

Miyuki carefully repacked her things and got dressed. On her way down the stairs, she was greeted by Sojiro. "Good morning Miyuki-san. You haven't changed your mind about going to D.C., have you?"

"I'm afraid not. Thank you for allowing me to stay here. I apologize for any trouble I may have caused." Miyuki replied with a bow.

"It was no trouble at all. And you're always welcome back any time. In fact, please do come back, if only for a visit! I'm going to miss you!"

Miyuki sweatdropped. "Very well, I'll come to visit every now and then. Now, if you'll excuse me, Sheriff Simms is waiting to speak to me. Farewell, Sojiro-san."

"Goodbye," Sojiro called after her as she left. "Be careful in the ruins!"

Miyuki stepped out onto the platform supporting the saloon and looked out over Megaton. Upon spotting Lucas Simms in the central plaza, she began to make her way down the assorted ramps and catwalks to meet him.

"I'll be damned!" Simms said as she approached him. "You did it, didn't you? You disarmed that thing! Konata even told me about that contraption you rigged up to bypass the circuits."

Miyuki sweatdropped. "I was happy to help. Everyone here has been so kind to me, it was the least I could do."

"And all without asking for pay, too." Simms paused for a moment. "You know what, why don't you move in? Here's the key and deed to an empty house. Now you'll have your own place to stay in when you and Konata get back from your trip."

"Really? Are you certain?" Miuyki asked.

"Absolutely! The house is up by the gate, over the Brass Lantern. Consider yourself a Megaton citizen!"

"Oh my! I don't know what to say!" Miyuki said excitedly. "Thank you very much!"

Miyuki said goodbye to the sheriff and made her way toward the town gate, where Konata was waiting for her.

"You look like you're in a good mood," Konata commented as Miyuki bounded up the hill towards her.

Miyuki held up the key Simms had given her. "Sheriff Simms gave me my own house to live in!"

"Wow, you're real lucky. It's really hard to get your hands on what little real estate there is around here. Maybe when we get back, I can help you decorate!"

"That sounds like fun! So, have you completed our preparations?"

Konata nodded. "Yep! I didn't sell all the loot this morning, but I sold enough to make almost four hundred caps! Here's your cut." Konata handed Miyuki a drawstring bag filled with bottle caps. "There's about two hundred caps in there. I also packed a bunch of food and water in my bag, along with anything else useful that we looted. And check this out!"

Konata pulled her Chinese officer's sword from her belt. "I picked this up from Moira today! She did a good job fixing it up; I can't wait to try it out!" Konata performed some quick slashes before returning the sword to her belt. "We can head out whenever you're ready."

Miyuki nodded. "Let's leave now, then. I'm eager to find my mother."

"Alright then," Konata said as she opened the gate and led the way out. "By the way, I also talked to Moira about my next two research assignments. We need to make stops at the Arlington Library and Rivet City."

Konata grabbed Miyuki's arm and examined her Pip-Boy. "You said this thing can make maps?" Konata asked as she poked at the machine's buttons.

"Yes, it uses a combination of radar and sonar to create geographical maps of the surrounding area within many miles."

"Really?" Konata looked thoughtful. "Why would you need huge maps like that if you were never supposed to leave the Vault?"

"Hm... That's an excellent question..." Miyuki put a finger to her chin, trying to come up with an answer. "Um... I'm afraid I don't know. I'm sorry."

Konata shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter. Anyway, the place Moira showed me on her pre-war map was around... here!" She pointed to a spot southeast of Megaton on Miyuki's map. "Arlington Library should be around there. I have to bring back the card catalog, and the complete library archive, if I can find it. You don't mind stopping there, right?"

"Of course not. It might be a good opportunity to find some intact books from before the war," Miyuki replied cheerfully.

"Alright then, we're off to the library!" Konata declared. "Maybe they'll have a comic section, or even some manga!"

* * *

"That's the Arlington Library up ahead." Paladin Hoss pointed at the building ahead.

"Great, now we get to walk all the way back to the Citadel," Pek groaned. "What a boring assignment! When do we get to see some action?"

"Don't go getting cocky just because you're in the Brotherhood now," Hoss scolded. "You're still just an initiate." The Paladin turned back to face their ward. "You okay? You've barely spoken since we left the Citadel."

"I'm fine," the young girl replied. "I just get nervous out here in the ruins..."

"Well, you've got nothing to worry about. This is just a simple pick-up assignment, and this area is fairly clear of hostiles."

The small group reached the front doors of the library. "Go on in. We'll wait out here for you to pick up the books."

"Right," the girl said with a nod before entering the building. The girl looked around the dimly lit lobby. Brotherhood guards stood in the corners of the room, and a woman wearing red robes sat at the desk, working on the computer.

"You must be Yearling!" the girl said as she approached the desk. Yearling looked up from her work. "That's Senior Scribe Yearling to you."

"Y-Yes, Senior Scribe Yearling. I'm sorry."

Yearling looked over the girl. Like herself, she wore the plain red robes of a Brotherhood of Steel Scribe. A bright yellow ribbon ran through her short lilac hair, and she stared back at Yearling with timid indigo eyes.

"I take it you're here to pick up the books. What's your name?" Yearling asked as she reached under the desk.

"Tsukasa Hiiragi," the girl replied.

Yearling eyed her. "Another of you? You've got a big family, kid." She lifted a pile of books onto the desk. "These are all the intact books we've gathered over the past month." Yearling turned back to her computer. "Take them back to the Citadel so they can be transcribed to the archives."

"Yes ma'am!" Tsukasa carefully packed the books into her messenger's bag before leaving.

"All set?" Hoss asked as Tsukasa exited the building.

Tsukasa nodded. "Yes, I have the books."

"Alright, now it's just a short walk back to the Citadel. Nothing to worry about."

* * *

"I'm impressed with these raiders," Konata said as she sifted through the items on a shelf. "They had quite a stash going!" She pulled a half empty box of shotgun shells from an ammo box and held it out to Miyuki. "Here. A little extra for your sidearm there." Miyuki walked over and took the box, careful to step around a dead raider as she did. She emptied the box into her satchel with her other ammunition before setting it neatly back on the shelf.

The two were standing in a sizable raider camp perched above a congested highway. The raiders had fired on them as they were walking down the highway on their way to the library, and Konata had insisted on looking for loot once they were dead.

"Have you found everything you were looking for, Konata-san?"

"Yeah, I guess that's it. Not a bad haul. We got some first aid supplies, some ammo, a couple frag mines, some chems, and I found this book."

Konata gave Miyuki a book entitled _Pugilism Illustrated_. It appeared to be a hand-to-hand fighting manual.

"Here you go, Yuki-chan. More required reading."

"Thank you. I will read it once I finish the issue of _Tumblers Today_ that you gave me."

The two made their way back out of the camp, dropping back down onto the road and continuing to their destination. "That must be the place," Konata said as they climbed up onto a pile of rubble from a collapsed overpass. The library stood out among a small group of generic buildings. "Just down the road."

They climbed down from the rubble and continued down the street to the library. Konata threw open the double doors and marched in as if she owned the place, with Miyuki trailing behind her.

"Hold it!"

The girls stopped dead in their tracks as a pair of soldiers in heavy armor pointed their weapons at them. Miyuki eyed the troopers fearfully. Their weapons had the distinct rectangular shape of laser rifles; Miyuki was not eager to experience a burn from such powerful weapons.

A woman in red robes approached them. "This area is under the authority of the Brotherhood of Steel. Leave immediately."

"Okay, just calm down," Konata said. "We were just exploring. No need to get trigger happy."

The woman seemed to relax a bit. "You two are awfully brave to be wandering around down here. Are you scavenging the ruins?"

"Yeah, we were hoping to find records from the library."

The woman smiled. "It seems that we have similar goals in mind. It's rare to meet someone who has proper priorities."

The troopers lowered their weapons, much to the girls' relief.

"I am Senior Scribe Yearling, Order of the Quill. My task here is to collect the written works of those who came before in order to supplement the Brotherhood Archives at the Citadel. We have set up this area as a forward operations center for our project. The books we collect can be recorded with the computer systems here. We then ship them under escort back to the Citadel for transcribing into the archives there."

"My," Miyuki said with a smile, "That's just wonderful! I never expected to find anyone preserving pre-war books! I would very much like the opportunity to read some of them."

"Perhaps," Yearling replied. "Though it's likely that they'll be locked away in storage."

"That's understandable. They have to be preserved, after all."

"So," Konata chimed in, "Can you help us access the library's archives?"

"Sure, why not?" Yearling replied. "The front desk computer has access to the card catalogs, but it appears that it's lost the connection to the main archives. Here's the password. Now, you might be able to find the central computer further in the library, but I'm afraid you'll have to do that without me. This place used to be infested with raiders, and there have been reports that some are still hiding in there. I'm a scholar, not a fighter."

"That's fine, raiders are no problem for us," Konata boasted as she went to the computer. "Right, Yuki-chan?"

"Um, r-right..." Despite her growing skill with her rifle, Miyuki still got nervous whenever raiders were involved.

"Hey, Yuki-chan," Konata said after examining the options on the computer screen. "Let me see your arm for a sec."

Miyuki held out her left arm, allowing Konata to plug a cable into her Pip-Boy and download the card catalog to it.

"Objective complete," Konata said. "Now we go in deeper to find the archive computer." She led the way down the hallway at the back of the lobby. Miyuki nervously followed, gripping her rifle as they passed by a skeleton sitting in a cage.

* * *

"Hurry! Get in here!" Pek shouted from the doorway. Tsukasa frantically ran into the closet and crouched in the corner. Pek closed the door and crouched beside her.

"I can't believe it!" he said in a hushed voice. "How are we supposed to fight those things?" Tsukasa felt like crying. "We can't. We're going to die in here!"

"Don't say that. Paladin Hoss will save us, I just know it!"

"But there were so many of them!"

Pek reloaded his 10mm pistol. "Well, whatever we do, we can't give up. If they do find us, I'm going down fighting."

"Where are you!"

The two went silent as they were interrupted by a loud, angry voice. "Come out! We find you sooner or later!"

Tsukasa hugged her knees as she struggled to hold back tears. _I wish Sis were here!_

* * *

"Mission accomplished," Konata proclaimed as she and Miyuki left the library.

"It was well worth the trouble," Miyuki commented as she scrolled through a list of titles on her Pip-Boy. "Konata-san, we have a complete recording of every book ever stored in that library. Do you realize how valuable this is?"

Konata shrugged. "It doesn't mean much to me, but it's what Moira wants. And I imagine it makes you pretty happy."

"Indeed," Miyuki replied with a smile. She returned attention to her Pip-Boy, letting Konata lead the way north while she decided which book to read first.

After walking for several minutes, Konata suddenly stopped. "Wait, do you hear that?"

Miyuki stopped and listened. "No, what is it?"

"Gunfire," Konata replied. "Come on, this way!"

Konata ran in the direction of the sound, and before long Miyuki could hear it as well. They climbed over a pile of debris and dropped down next to an ancient bus half buried with rubble. The gunfire was coming from up ahead, where two armored Brotherhood of Steel soldiers were taking cover by a metro junction.

Konata smirked as she drew her sword and knife. "Let's show these guys how it's done."

"Konata-san, wait! We don't know what's up there!" Miyuki called out as Konata sprinted forward, but the otaku ignored her warning. She rushed past the Brotherhood troops and leaped over a set of metro tracks before seeing the threat.

Coming to a dead stop, Konata stared up at the terrifying hulk before her. The eight foot tall mass of muscle towered over the small girl, its lipless mouth set in a permanent snarl. Konata quickly delivered several slashes with her sword, but she couldn't break its thick, green skin. Realizing her mistake, she quickly backed away from the monstrosity as it fired at her with its hunting rifle. As she returned fire with her silenced 10mm pistol, Konata ducked behind a stone bench with the Brotherhood troops, finding Miyuki there as well.

"You done trying to get yourself killed, Wastelander?" the paladin asked.

"Hey, I didn't know we were up against monsters!" Konata shouted as more rifle fire rang out.

"Just keep your head down, kid," the knight said as he fired his laser rifle. "Wouldn't want the super mutants to splatter you."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Konata pouted. "So these are super mutants," she muttered as she peeked out from cover. "They're tougher than I thought..."

Konata noticed Miyuki's eyes widen suddenly. "Konata-san! Behind you!"

Konata spun her head around and saw another mutant charging at her with a sledgehammer. Reflexively kicking off the bench, the small adventurer rolled away from the blow, her weapons ready as she rose to her feet. The knight fired two bolts into the mutant's arm before the beast delivered a blow to the trooper, sending him reeling back.

Miyuki managed to strike the mutant in the head with her hunting rifle, finally slowing it as it clutched at its face. To the meganekko's surprise, however, the monster raised its hammer for another swing, despite its severely bloodied face. The head wound did impair its accuracy, however; it narrowly missed Miyuki, smashing through a portion of the bench instead.

Before the mutant could make another attack, Konata leaped up and pounded her knife into its back. The thick muscle prevented the knife from penetrating completely, but it was enough to give Konata a solid handhold. The otaku pulled herself up and drove her sword towards the mutant's head, aiming for the spot where Miyuki's rifle round had lodged itself. The blade punched through the mutant's weakened skull, gouging through its brain before it toppled over, dead.

Konata retrieved her blades and ducked back behind cover, avoiding rifle fire from the mutant's enraged brethren. "Told you I'm not just some kid!"

"That was impressive for a wastelander," the paladin admitted, "But there's too many of them to take out like that." He pointed to one of the old metro cars that had come off the tracks. "I'm going to take up position by that car. If you can lure the other mutants over to me, I can torch them with my flamer."

Konata eyed the heavy weapon wielded by the paladin; it was essentially an oversized spray nozzle attached to a large fuel tank. The adventurer grinned and twirled her pistol. "Sure thing. I'll round those guys up in no time."

"Good." The paladin turned to the knight. Are you able to provide covering fire, Church?"

"Yeah, the mutie didn't get me too bad. But Hoss, are you sure we can count on these wastelanders?"

"I'm not about to turn away a pair of extra guns. Besides, this girl is fast. She's our best shot for grouping the hostiles together so we can end this fight quickly."

"Um, we had best decide quickly," Miyuki cut in, "They are beginning to advance on us!"

"We'll go with your plan," Konata said to Hoss. "Wait five seconds after I jump out before moving to the metro car. Miyuki, you stay here and help cover me."

Miyuki nodded. "Right. I'll do my best."

"Okay," Konata grinned as she got ready to move. "Time to get cracking."

Konata vaulted over the bench and charged at the mutants, firing her pistol at their heads. The 10mm rounds were barely able to break their skin, leaving light cuts or small bruises at best, but it was certainly enough to draw their attention. The angered mutants were terrible marksmen however, allowing Konata to easily close the distance.

"HOLD STILL! ANNOYING HUMAN!" one of the mutants roared as Konata deftly darted between them, dodging their rifles and delivering quick stabs with her knife.

"What's the matter?" Konata taunted as one received burns from Church's laser rifle. "Can't you guys keep up?" She slid between the legs of one mutant as it swung it's sledgehammer, delivering a slash to the back as she stood. "I thought you guys were supposed to be scary. But I guess you're just big, slow half-wits!" Another mutant took a rifle round to the head; Miyuki and Church were keeping constant pressure on the mutants, but Konata made sure to keep their attention on her.

After doing her best to enrage every mutant in sight, Konata began to run towards the metro car. "You guys want me? Come and get me!" Konata called out as she dashed behind the car. The mob of super mutants charged after her all at once, only to find Hoss' flamer waiting for them. The heavy weapon spewed a stream of flaming napalm at the mutants, quickly dropping them one by one.

Hoss turned to face Konata. "Stranger, I thank you for your aid. We must press forward, if you are willing to aid us, you are welcome to join us."

"What's happening here?" Miyuki asked as she and Church approached.

"We were escorting a scribe on a pick up mission when we were cut off by the Super Mutants. We saw the scribe and our initiate flee into a building up ahead during the attack, but before we could link up with them, we were pushed back. Now that we've cleared this area, we can press forward and attempt to recover them. I only pray that they are unharmed."

"Well, what are we standing around for?" Konata asked. "Let's go bail out your guys."

Miyuki nodded. "I agree. We will assist however we can."

"Excellent. We will advance forward slowly until we make contact with the mutants, then we will clear the area in front of the building. Once that space is under our control, we will hold position while you two enter and recover the scribe and the initiate."

* * *

"You bastards had better answer me! Where is Miyuki Takara?"

"Take a hike, kid," Sheriff Simms called down from above the gate. "You're not getting any information out of us, so beat it before we have to waste bullets on your sorry hides."

Akira ground her teeth together in anger. "You're wasting my time! Tell me before I kill all of you! I'll do it, too!"

"Kill us?" Jericho laughed. "That's just too funny! Your outnumbered and outgunned! Unless you've got some fancy high-tech weapon hidden up those sleeves, I suggest you just turn around and walk away."

The Enclave officer nearly crushed the grip of her hidden plasma pistol. It wasn't that she couldn't kill them; in fact, she could likely kill every resident of Megaton single-handedly. But she was going to be in enough trouble with the higher-ups already. Killing every resident in a tiny town like Andale was one thing, but murdering every person in Megaton would definitely not go unnoticed.

"This isn't over!" Akira shouted as she finally turned to walk away. "I _will_ get back at you someday!" Akira began storming down the path away from Megaton.

"Well, at least they didn't shoot at us," Minoru said a bit nervously once they reached Springvale's main street.

"I wish they had," Akira snorted, "At least then I'd have an excuse for killing them. If I wasn't under strict orders, I'd have murdered that whole damn junkyard!"

"But wouldn't we need someone to tell us where the girl went?"

"That's true..." Akira muttered. "Maybe we can sneak in at night and torture everyone until they tell us..."

"Hey!"

Akira and Minoru turned to face the source of the voice, finding a female raider with her arms crossed. Her head was heavily bandaged.

"What do you want?" Akira snapped.

"This girl you're looking for, what's she look like?"

"Pink hair and glasses." Akira narrowed her eyes. "Why? Have you seen her?"

The raider sneered. "Yeah, her and her little blue haired friend headed out on a trip just this morning. And I can tell you where they're going."

* * *

"Watch your step in here," Konata cautioned as they made their way through the office building. "There's a tripwire in that bathroom there."

Miyuki glanced down at the floor as they passed the restroom, but she couldn't see what Konata was talking about. Then again, she could barely see anything in the dim light.

They entered a large room that previously held many office cubicles, though most of them were gone now. Konata stopped and crouched to the floor, motioning for Miyuki to do the same.

"More muties," she whispered, pointing to the center of the room. Three of the hulking mutants were probing the area, turning over rubble and searching the remaining cubicles. One of them was equipped with heavy armor fashioned from scrap metal. "I'll bet that's the leader," Konata said as she pointed at the brute. "I'm going to sneak attack him. You line up on the one closest to him and take the shot when I make my move."

"Alright, then what?"

Konata shrugged. "Beats me. I don't usually think past the first move. I just wing it from there."

Miyuki sweatdropped. "Well, try to be careful then."

"Don't worry," Konata said, "I'll have him down before you know it."

The small girl quickly crept across the floor, sword in hand. Once she was within a few feet of the brute, Konata sprung forward, leaping high and digging her sword into it's back. The mutant roared in anger and tried to reach behind itself, thrashing wildly. Konata gripped her sword tightly, but was soon thrown to the ground as the brute spun. The adventurer rose to her knees, drawing her pistol and knife as the mutant brought it's assault rife to bear on her.

The nearest mutant started to point its hunting rifle at Konata, only to find a .32 round embedded in the side of its head seconds later. The mutant turned to see Miyuki crouched on the other side of the room. Another round slammed into its forehead, causing the mutant to stumble back. Wiping blood from its face, the mutant charged at Miyuki, firing its rifle. The shot missed, and the vault dweller fired another round into the mutant's shoulder and finally another to the face. The round broke through the mutant's skull, sending it to the ground mid-stride.

The brute fired on Konata, sending a stream of lead at her. Konata rolled sideways and jumped behind an overturned desk, taking bullets in her back and thigh. Ignoring the pain, the blue haired rogue fired her pistol over the desk. A few rounds bounced right off the mutant's armor, but several dug into its thick flesh. The brute didn't flinch however; instead it charged into the desk, flipping it away to get at her.

Miyuki took aim at the brute attacking Konata, but before she could fire, the third mutant attacked her with a wooden board. Nails driven through the end of the board cut open her arm, sending her reeling back with pain. She fired off her last round in a panic, hitting the mutant's torso. The mutant lunged forward as Miyuki rushed to draw her sawed-off shotgun. Jumping sideways to dodge, the meganekko fired off both barrels in quick succession, blasting the mutant with buckshot. Backing away quickly, she hurried to reload as the mutant readied another attack.

Konata sprung forward to dodge an assault rifle burst, still firing her pistol as she dashed between the mutant's legs. Holstering her pistol, she again leaped onto the brute's back, using her sword as a handhold. She pulled herself up and attempted to slit the brute's throat with her knife, but she was dismayed to find that its skin was too thick. As the mutant began thrashing to dislodge her, Konata set to work sawing at its neck with the serrated edge of her knife. By the time she broke the skin, however, the mutant managed to grab hold of her and throw her forward to the ground. Landing on her back, Konata hurried to draw her pistol as the brute reloaded. She fired off her remaining three rounds at the cut on the mutant's neck. One round managed to sever its artery, and within seconds the brute collapsed to the ground. Konata got up and, with some effort, retrieved her sword.

"Konata-san!" Turning her head, Konata saw Miyuki running towards her, a super mutant in pursuit. "Help me!"

Konata grinned and sprung forward, charging past Miyuki. She lunged as the mutant raised its nail board, driving her sword through its buckshot-ridden chest.

"Thank you," Miyuki sighed.

"No problem," Konata replied as the corpse colapsed. "Is your arm okay?"

"It's fine; the wound is not serious. Are you unharmed?"

"I took a couple shots," Konata replied as she poked at her thigh wound. "They're starting to feel sore, but I'll hold off on a stimpak for now. Anyway, I think that was all of them. Lets split up and find those Brotherhood guys." Miyuki nodded and reloaded her weapons as she made her way out of the room.

After checking several small rooms, Miyuki came to a closet at the end of the hall. She tried the door and found it locked. "Hello?" she called. "Is anyone in there?"

After a moment Miyuki heard a quiet voice come from behind the door. "Who are you?"

"I've come to help you," Miyuki replied. "Paladin Hoss sent me."

The door slowly opened, revealing a timid looking girl and a young man in combat armor.

"Oh, thank God." Pek said. "I knew Paladin Hoss wouldn't leave us behind. My name is Pek."

"I'm Tsukasa," the scribe said.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Tsukasa and Pek," Miyuki replied with a smile. "My name is Miyuki Takara. If you'll come with me, I can lead you to safety."

"Oh, thank you!" Tsukasa said. "I was afraid we weren't going to make it!"

"Yeah, I thought those mutants were going to get us." Pek added.

"You are safe now," Miyuki assured them, "My companion and I have eliminated the mutants. Please follow me." Miyuki lead them back through the office building, checking each room she passed for Konata. "That's odd..." Miyuki muttered as they reached the main room. "I wonder where she is..." She squinted to see in the dark room, and was able to see a blue blur on the far side of the room. "Oh! That must be her."

As they started to approach her, Tsukasa's face suddenly brightened and she began to jog ahead. "Kona-chan!" she called. Konata turned to see the scribe running at her before suddenly finding herself wrapped tight in a hug.

"Good to see you too Tsukasa," Konata said. "Um, could you please stop squishing me?"

"Oh, so you two know each other?" Miyuki asked, eyesmiling at the exchange.

"Yeah," Tsukasa said as she turned around. "My family stayed in Megaton several years ago. That was when we first met."

"It's been a while, hasn't it? You've really grown since then."

Tsukasa sweatdropped. "Um, so have you?" _Kona-chan still looks like she did when we were kids!_

"Say, Konata, what were you doing just now, before we got here?" Tsukasa asked suddenly.

"Hm? Oh, I was just going through the drawers in this desk."

Miyuki tilted her head. "Weren't you searching for Tsukasa and Pek?"

Konata rubbed her head. "Well, I was going to, but don't you just feel an urge to check every container in a building to make sure you don't miss anything valuable?" Konata received blank stares. She turned away and sighed. "Well, I guess that's to be expected. Neither of you have had to scavenge for a living."

"Hey," Pek interrupted, "Shouldn't we get going, before more mutants show up?"

"Oh yeah," Tsukasa said, starting to sound worried. "I want to get back to the Citadel as soon as possible!"

Miyuki nodded. "This way."

"H-Hey, wait!" Konata called out as the others walked away. "We can't leave now! There's a safe in the other room I haven't cracked yet!"

* * *

Hello all. I apologize for taking so long, but for some reason I just couldn't focus on writing for the past month. There were nights when I literally wrote a single sentence before getting sidetracked. I hope this is not the start of a trend.

It was nice to finally write Miyuki's escape, but it was also rather tedious. Not writing the story so much, but actually playing through the game to get all the dialog. In fact, almost any scene where a Fallout character has dialog involves me repeatedly reloading saves so I can go through every dialog path for that character in-game and pick the best lines for the story. It definitely keeps the Fallout side of things authentic though, so it's worth it.

Perhaps overshadowing Miyuki's escape, however, has to be the introduction of none other than Tsukasa Hiiragi! I have no doubt that those of you who bothered to read the story this far were happy to see another character introduced, and it's also good news for me. Up until now, the slice of life feel from Lucky Star hasn't been as prominent as I'd like. Granted, this is a fantasy adventure story and not straight slice of life, but I like to try and work in little moments. Unfortunately, that was getting a bit difficult with only the Konata/Miyuki dynamic to work with. Now I have Tsukasa, whose willingness to engage in idle chit-chat with Konata should help bring the Lucky Star feel more to the forefront.

Tsukasa's introduction also signals where the plot picks up. Now that I've finally gotten the girls out of Megaton, the story should progress much more quickly. Major plot points should be showing up more often, and more Lucky Star characters are on the way! I won't reveal them all at once, mind you, but all the main ones will be included before the story's halfway point. Hell, depending on how the pace of the next chapter works out, I might even introduce another character there.

That should be it, I think. (though it always feels like I'm forgetting to say something when I finish these author's notes...) I will work to not take a month and a half with chapter eight. In the meantime, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think! I'll see you all (figuratively, of course) next time!

Update: *epic facepalm* Line breaks. Right. Knew I was forgetting something. Thanks for pointing that out Omega Hugger; guess I was a little _too_ anxious to post this. Fixed.


	8. Tourists

"So you really lived in a vault, Miyuki-san?" Tsukasa asked, eyes wide with wonder.

"Yes," Miyuki replied as they walked, "For my entire life."

"That's amazing! You're so lucky, sometimes I wish I could've been born in a vault. Then I wouldn't have to worry about raiders or super mutants or anything!"

"That's Tsukasa for you," Konata commented, "Always the dreamer."

The girls were following the Brotherhood of Steel soldiers along the Potomac River's shoreline; since the Citadel was on the way to D.C., Konata and Miyuki were taking advantage of the company and protection.

"But you know, Tsukasa," Konata started, "You're actually pretty well off, compared to other people out here. I mean, your whole family got recruited into the Brotherhood of Steel, so you don't have to worry about food, water, or shelter. And you're a scribe, so you don't have to do any fighting."

"Well, I'm technically not a full scribe yet," Tsukasa admitted with a bit of embarrassment. "I'm still just a journeyman, so I always get sent out on assignments in the wasteland. You know, stuff the senior scribes are too busy for."

"I'm curious to know what role the scribes play within the Brotherhood," Miyuki said.

"Well," Tsukasa replied, "While the paladins and knights are responsible for protecting the wasteland, the scribes are responsible for researching and maintaining technology, like power armor and energy weapons. We also collect things from before the war to help us rebuild some of what we lost."

"I see, how fascinating!"

"Wait a minute," Konata interrupted, "If the scribes have to do smart stuff like that, then why is Tsukasa one?"

Tsukasa's expression turned shocked. "H-Hey! That was a little blunt, Kona-chan!"

"Hey," Hoss called back, getting the girls' attention. "The Citadel is just up ahead." Before long, the high walls of the Citadel came into view.

"Finally!" Tsukasa said happily. "Home sweet home!"

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Tsukasa cried, "I thought I would get to stay at the Citadel, but they sent me back out to the ruins!"

"Don't worry, Tsukasa. You've got me and Yuki-chan to keep you company!" Konata chirped.

"Yeah, I'm so lucky you guys are headed to Galaxy News Radio too. They want me to collect a field report from the reinforcements they sent there."

"Do you know why they sent you out without an escort?" Miyuki asked.

Tsukasa shook her head. "They just said they needed all available soldiers back at the Citadel." She smiled a bit. "But that's okay, because you guys will protect me, right?"

"Of course," Miyuki assured her with a smile.

"Yeah, you can count on it!" Konata said confidently. "Nothing has been able to stop me and Yuki-chan yet!"

The girls continued on along the rocky shore of the Potomac until they reached the bridge leading to the Anchorage War Memorial. "That's where I planted the observer unit for Moira," Konata said, pointing at the Memorial. "See all the craters on this bridge?"

Miyuki looked at the ground and noted many small potholes. "Yes."

"Those used to be landmines. Don't know who set them up, but all it took was one shot and they all went off at once! That was fun."

"You've already come out this far, Kona-chan?" Tsukasa asked.

Konata nodded. "Yep, on one of my many adventures!" Konata replied as she stepped up onto the ledge of the Memorial's parking lot. "Looks like we'll have to get our feet wet," The rogue stated.

The Memorial wasn't actually connected to the river's eastern bank. Miyuki and Tsukasa peered over the ledge at the murky water below. A twenty meter stretch of water separated them from the opposite bank.

"I don't know, Kona-chan... do we really have to swim through that?" Tsukasa asked.

"I agree with Tsukasa-san," Miyuki added, "That water looks very unsanitary."

"What are you two, scared?" Konata taunted. Tsukasa nodded vigorously. "Okay then," Konata sighed. "Watch, there's nothing to worry about." The adventurer proceeded to leap over the ledge, tucking in her legs and cannonballing into the river. "See?" she called up as she swam in small circles. "Nothing to worry about. Now come on in! The water's fine!"

Miyuki sighed as she sat down on the ledge. _At least my Pip-Boy and backpack are waterproof._ She slid down off the ledge, gracefully dropping into the water. Tsukasa tried to lower herself down the ledge to shorten the drop, but her hands slipped, sending her tumbling down and belly-flopping onto the water. "Nice one!" Konata cheered as Tsukasa sputtered water from her mouth and nose.

"We should hurry," Miyuki prompted them, staring at her Pip-Boy. "The river is irradiated. We should get to the bank as soon as possible."

The girls started swimming across the river, though the water was thick with dirt and muck. Miyuki tried her best to ignore it.

"Eek!" Tsukasa squealed when they were halfway to shore.

"What is it?" Miyuki asked as her and Konata stopped.

"S-Something touched my foot!" Tsukasa cried as she frantically searched through the water.

"Calm down," Konata said, "It was probably a piece of garbage."

"No! There's something in here!" Tsukasa insisted. Suddenly, Tsukasa disappeared under the water, thrashing her arms as she was dragged under.

"Tsukasa!" Konata shouted, drawing her sword. Before she could act, however, the adventurer found a solid carapace slamming into her from below, briefly throwing her out of the water. She slashed at the hard shell repeatedly before the creature swam past her. "Mirelurks!" Konata shouted to Miyuki. "Aim for its face!" she advised before taking a deep breath and diving.

Miyuki faced the mirelurk as it came around for another attack. She drew her sawed-off shotgun and fired on the creature, but the buckshot bounced off its hard shell and splashed into the water. Miyuki struggled to swim back as it advanced, but it was faster than her. The mirelurk reared back as it attacked, providing Miyuki a clear look at it. The creature resembled a giant bipedal horseshoe crab, though Miyuki thought it shared some features with a blue crab. Her fascination was short-lived, however, as its mutated claws were soon snapping at her.

Konata spun her head back and forth, struggling to see Tsukasa in the thick muck. She spotted a strip of yellow and reached out for it. As she tried to reach Tsukasa's ribbon, she found a mirelurk claw shooting towards her and snapping shut around her sword arm. Konata saw Tsukasa gripped in the other claw by her neck; she was desperately trying to pry the claw open. Konata struggled to shake her sword arm free, to no avail.

Miyuki managed to fire off her second shot at the lunging mirelurk. The buckshot did little to slow the creature; it snapped one claw down around her neck, abruptly cutting off the air to her lungs. Trying not to panic, Miyuki fumbled through her ammo pouch under water, trying to reload her weapon. She managed to wrap her fingers around a pair of shotgun shells and pull them above the water. The mirelurk quickly snapped its second claw around her arm, preventing her from reloading. Miyuki desperately bashed the creature's face with her empty gun, causing it to release her other arm and grab her gun arm instead. Fortunately, the mirelurk was keeping the barrel pointed straight at itself. Miyuki shoved the shells into her gun and flipped the break closed before pulling the trigger twice. Buckshot splashed across the creature's face, killing it instantly. The claws relaxed, allowing Miyuki to gasp for air as the carcass began to sink.

Konata delivered two sharp kicks as she drew her knife. She stabbed at the creature's face, but it suddenly faced down and swam towards the riverbed, dragging her and Tsukasa behind it. Konata glanced at the scribe as she tried to free her arm; the girl was no longer struggling. _Not good,not good!_ Konata reached up and sawed through the mirelurk's claw with her knife, freeing her sword arm. The creature screeched and turned to face her. Releasing Tsukasa, it charged at Konata with its good claw. The rogue ducked under the claw and brought her sword up, stabbing right through its face as it rushed at her.

Konata pulled her sword back and left the corpse, swimming towards Tsukasa. The rogue picked her up off the riverbed and swam upwards, gasping for air as she surfaced. "She's not breathing!" she called to Miyuki between coughs. The vault dweller swam over and helped carry Tsukasa to shore. "Tsukasa!" Konata shouted as they set her in the dirt. "Tsukasa, wake up!"

"Please stand aside," Miyuki instructed. Konata watched in confusion as Miyuki began pressing down on Tsukasa's chest repeatedly; her jaw dropped when Miyuki put her mouth over Tsukasa's for several seconds. She repeated the cycle twice more before Tsukasa started coughing up water.

"Tsukasa-san! Are you alright?" Miyuki asked.

"I think so," Tsukasa replied as she took deep breaths. "Thank you, Yuki-chan! You saved me!"

"Think nothing of it," Miyuki replied modestly. "Besides, it was Konata-san who recovered you from the mirelurk."

"Is that so?" Tsukasa faced Konata. "Thank you, Kona-chan!"

Konata didn't reply, but stared at the two with her mouth open and eyes squinted.

"Hm? What's wrong, Kona-chan?"

"You two kissed."

Both girls turned red. "Wh-What?" Tsukasa cried.

"Th-That's not it, I was giving her oxygen," Miyuki tried to explain.

"Your lips touched," Konata said, dead serious. "You two kissed. And it was hot."

Tsukasa and Miyuki's expressions turned shocked. _Just what kind of thoughts go through Konata's head? _

"Well," Konata said as she started wringing out her hair. "Looks like we got off to a rocky start, huh?"

"Indeed," Miyuki sighed as she wiped her glasses. "I dread what we will find once we enter the city."

"I don't even want to think about it!" Tsukasa groaned.

"Well, we won't get anywhere by sitting around here," Konata said as she stood up and surveyed the ruins, sweatdropping as she failed to find a way past all the rubble. "Uh, how exactly do we get into the city?"

"They told me to go to the Farragut West metro station," Tsuaksa replied. "It should take us close to Galaxy News Radio."

"Ah, okay!" Konata started to walk, but suddenly stopped. "So, which way is the metro station? Upriver or downriver?"

"Um, upriver?" Tsukasa guessed.

"Hm," Konata started, "I have a sudden urge to go downriver, but I guess we can try Tsukasa's way first."

"At least keep those thoughts to yourself!" Tsukasa cried.

The trio climbed up onto the sidewalk and headed northwest. Miyuki gunned down a pair of raiders on the way, whom Konata happily searched for loot. "It's starting to get dark out," Miyuki noted as Konata returned with a handful of ammunition and several caps.

"We can camp in the metro for the night," the rogue suggested.

"That's sounds scary!" Tsukasa cried as they started walking again.

"It's probably safer than camping out here," Konata said, "We could at least barricade ourselves into a side room down there. Hey, I think I see it!" The girls approached the distinctive signs and canopy that marked the presence of a metro station. "Well, what do you know," Konata said as she looked down the stairs to the metro entrance. The Brotherhood of Steel emblem and the words "To GNR Outpost" were scrawled above the gate. "Tsukasa got it right."

"Its not that rare, you know!" Tsukasa insisted.

Konata descended the stairs and pushed open the chain link gate, followed by Miyuki and Tsukasa. Rubble was piled up on either side of the passageway, but the metro was surprisingly intact. There was even enough power for the lights to work.

"This isn't so bad," Tsukasa said as they continued down the walkway.

"See? I told you spending the night down here wouldn't be a problem," Konata replied before stopping. "Hold up, I hear something." A trio of mole rats came running down the tunnel towards them, but Konata effortlessly dispatched them.

"You guys are so good at fighting," Tsukasa said as they stepped past the corpses. "I wish I wasn't so helpless..."

"Ah, but to be a good fighter," Konata replied, holding her finger in the air. "You need to spend your experience points on combat skills."

"Uh, I don't quite understand..."

"I think what Konata-san is saying is that practice makes perfect." Miyuki said.

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Hey, guys," Konata said, pointing down the tunnel. "Look, the tunnel collapsed."

"Oh my," Miyuki said as they approached the cave in. "Where do we go now?"

Konata briefly scanned the area before spotting a side door. She opened it and peered inside. "Hey, there's a maintenance tunnel in the back of these offices," she called back. "I'll bet that's where we have to go."

They continued down through the tunnel, finding themselves in a tall generator room. "This must be why the lights still work," Miyuki said as she examined a clattering generator. "These are likely powered with nuclear fission. Fission power was very widespread before the war."

"How is it that you know so much, Yuki-chan?" Konata asked as they climbed a set of stairs.

"Well, the Vault had many archived learning materials from before the war."

"Yeah, I knew that, but what I meant was, how do you manage to remember everything? That stuff is all so boring to me."

"Well, as intelligent as my mother is, she can be a bit forgetful from time to time. I took to looking up and memorizing things she might need to remember, so I could remind her. Over time, I just grew accustomed to learning new things for fun."

They reached the top of the stairs and found another chain link gate. Konata tried to open it before noticing a small padlock on the latch. "I think it's time you two learned about picking locks," Konata said as she crouched down and retrieved her screwdriver from her boot. She opened a small matchbox and took out a bobby pin. "Okay, the first thing you do is hook the bobby pin around the tumblers and pull them up." The other two girls leaned in close to watch. "This lock is pretty simple, but harder locks require you to rotate the pins into place. Then you have to use the screwdriver to twist the whole lock open, like so..."

Suddenly, something slammed into the gate, causing it to rattle violently. The girls all jumped back from shock; Konata broke the bobby pin she was using and spilled the others onto the floor. The things trying to reach through the gate somewhat resembled humans, but they lacked nearly all muscle tone, and their skin was broken and peeling off over their whole bodies.

"What are those things?" Miyuki asked.

"Feral ghouls," Konata replied. "They're people who have a weird reaction to radiation. Rather than dieing, their skin flakes off and they pretty much end up looking like zombies. Over time, they go feral, like these guys, and then they act like zombies too! Don't worry, they can't reach us."

The ghouls slowly began walking back into the dark as they realized their prey was out of reach.

"Unfortunately," Konata said as she faced her friends, "I lost all my bobby pins, so we can't go through this gate now."

"Well, maybe we should find a spot to rest," Tsukasa suggested. "I've had one scare too many for today."

"Tsukasa-san is right," Miyuki said as she looked at her Pip-Boy. "It's nearly eleven pm."

"Okay, let's check in here." Konata approached a door across from the gate and opened it. "Hey, this is perfect!" she exclaimed. "Check this out!"

The door led into a small office. Aside from ancient papers scattered across the floor, the room was surprisingly clean and completely intact. The room contained a row of filing cabinets, sets of shelves, two desks, a counter, and a fold down naval cot hanging from the wall.

"Wow, this is kind of nice," Tsukasa said as they entered the room. "It's so cozy!"

"You two get comfortable," Konata said, "I have an idea for dinner."

* * *

"And that's why you shouldn't mix turpentine, Abraxo cleaner, and Nuka Cola Quantum," Tuskasa finished telling Miyuki as Konata threw some more garbage into the fire.

"My, what an unfortunate incident."

"Yeah, it really stinks!"

"Here you go guys," Konata said as she handed them skewers of roasted mole rat. "Sorry about the taste. Mole rat meat can be pretty nasty, and I didn't have much to work with."

They were sitting around a fire on the platform outside the office, enjoying the warmth and allowing themselves to dry completely.

"I'm simply grateful that we have any food at all," Miyuki said. "Given the state of the world, it seems that food can be difficult to obtain."

"That's one way to look at it," Konata said as she handed out bottles of water. "But food's not really an issue if you know what you're doing. Neither is water, for that matter. The real problem is that it all slowly kills you."

_That's right, everything is irradiated,_ Miyuki thought as she glanced at her Pip-Boy. "To think, I've only been out here for four days, and I already have almost seventy rads."

"We all took a big dose from the river," Konata stated. "Your rad count doesn't usually go up that fast. Still, it's something you gotta keep on top of." Konata took another bite off her skewer. "Unfortunately, the world's gonna run out of Rad Away sooner or later."

"Wouldn't it be nice if someone found a way to purify lots of water at once?" Tsukasa suggested. "Then people wouldn't have to worry so much."

"It's just like you to think of something like that, Tsukasa," Konata said. "But how would you purify enough water for everyone in the Wasteland? Not to mention how dangerous it would be bringing it out to all the settlements."

"Well, it was just an idea..."

"I think it's a good idea, Tsukasa-san," Miyuki said, "And it might be possible, in theory at least."

Tsukasa's eyes lit up. "You really think so, Yuki-chan?"

"Of course. It would take great effort to accomplish, however. The most difficult part would be locating a substance strong enough to continue absorbing radiation despite the large amount of water."

"I still don't think it could work," Konata said. "Hey, didn't you say that thing on your arm has a radio?" she suddenly asked, abruptly changing the topic.

"Yes, it does," Miyuki answered. "But are there any radio stations still broadcasting?"

"Yeah, Galaxy News Radio does."

"Is that so?" Miyuki said as she tuned her Pip-Boy. "I assumed our destination was named as such because of its pre-war function. I hadn't considered that it might still be used to broadcast."

Her Pip-Boy suddenly started playing the end of a saxophone solo before moving on to a verse.

"_Oh, I'm a single man, I really don't need a wife. (Pick up, you gals!)_

_Yes, I'm a single man, and I really don't need a wife. _

_Yes, I'm gonna stay this way, cause' oh what a wonderful life._"

"Oh, it's almost over," Tsukasa said as the song went into a short instrumental. "That's too bad. I like this song, it's catchy!"

"_Oh, I'm a mighty man, I'm young and I'm in my prime. _

_Yes, a mighty, mighty man, I'm young and I'm in my prime. _

_Well, when you want me, holler and I'll be there on time. _

_Well, when there's work to do, send for the mighty one. _

_Yes, when there's work to do you better send for the mighty one. _

_Yes, he'll stay on the job, until the job is done!"_

As the song ended, another voice came on. "You just heard a little ditty called 'Mighty, Mighty Man,' by Mr. Roy Brown. This is Galaxy News Radio, and I'm your host, Three Dog! Lord and master of all that I survey.

"Seems we got – da da da da! – a bit of news, just listen to this. Not too long ago, I reported that a cat recently left Vault 101. Her name is Yukari. Good gal. Turns out, it gets better! I've got a new report here, that says someone else has just climbed out of that hole."

"Hey, that must be you, Yuki-chan!" Konata said. "You're famous!"

"I suppose so," Miyuki said with a smile.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Three Dog continued, "Revolution? Vacation? Somebody fart? Your guess is as good as mine, kids. Thanks for listening, children! This is Three Dog! Awoooo! And you're listening to Galaxy News Radio! We're radio free wasteland, and we're here for you. And now a super important public service announcement..."

"Say, why did you leave the Vault,Yuki-chan?" Tsukasa asked. "I always thought that people in the Vault had a good life."

"I haven't told you yet, have I?" Miyuki replied. "Four days ago, my mother suddenly disappeared from the Vault. That's why I left, to come and find her."

"Does that mean Yukari is your mom then?"

"Correct. That's actually why we're going to Galaxy News Radio; that was the last place my mother was seen."

"_Hey everybody, did the news get around, about a guy named Butcher Pete? _

_Oh, Pete just flew into this town, and he's choppin' up all the women's meat!" _

"Oh! I love this song!" Konata exclaimed. "It's so funny! Especially when you think about what he's singing about."

Tsukasa cocked her head. "But isn't it just about a butcher?"

"Not quite. Think about the lyrics."

"Um... a serial killer? That's not very funny."

"No, really think about it."

Tsukasa thought for a moment. "...I still don't get it."

"I guess there's no use trying to explain it then," Konata sighed. "Say, Yuki-chan, when we find your mom, can we go with you to see the Vault? I've always wondered what it was like inside."

"Oh, well, I suppose that might be possible..." Miyuki replied nervously. "To tell the truth, I haven't really figured out what to do once we locate my mother."

"Won't you just go back to Vault 101?"

"I'm afraid it might not be so simple."

"Oh!" Tsukasa suddenly exclaimed, interrupting their conversation.

"What is it?" Konata and Miyuki asked.

Tsukasa was blushing. "I think I figured out what those lyrics mean..."

* * *

"Just five more minutes..." Tsukasa mumbled as she rolled toward the wall on the naval cot.

"You said that ten minutes ago!" Konata complained. "Come on! It's time to get moving!"

"Tsukasa-san certainly seems to enjoy her sleep," Miyuki commented as she put on her backpack.

"Well, we'll see how deep a sleeper she is when she's up against this!" Konata held up a fragmentation grenade.

"Doesn't that seem a bit extreme?" Miyuki asked with a sweatdrop.

"Nah," Konata replied as she pulled the pin. "What makes you say that?" She dropped the grenade in a filing cabinet drawer and slammed it shut. "Cover your ears!" The grenade went off, sending a startled Tsukasa rolling to the floor. "Let's go! Time's wasting!" Konata shouted as she tossed Tsukasa's messenger bag at her.

"You didn't need to do that," Tsukasa said as they left the office.

"If I hadn't, you'd be in that cot all day!" Konata replied as she unlocked the gate with a key she had found. They were greeted with the snarling of the feral ghouls; Miyuki picked one off before they started their charge. A second fell to the meganekko's rifle while a third carelessly impaled itself on Konata's outstretched sword. "Poor guys," Konata said as the corpse fell. "Their brains are completely wrecked by the radiation."

They proceeded through a short tunnel opening out onto a set of metro tracks. "Looks like we're on the right track," Konata said with a grin as they passed another sign pointing Galaxy News Radio. They made their way through the ancient tunnels, killing the occasional ghoul or two, before reaching the Tenleytown metro station.

"Woah," Konata said as the emerged from the metro into Chevy Chase. "I thought D.C. looked bad from the outside, but it's an even bigger mess on the inside!" Rubble and wreckage was piled high in the streets, and the skeletal remains of tall buildings dominated the skyline.

"This explains why we must use the metro system to travel here," Miyuki commented as she examined the debris. "All of the roadways appear inaccessible."

"Hey! There it is!" Konata shouted, pointing to the south. Beyond a series of destroyed buildings was the Galaxy News Radio broadcasting station, marked by the letters "GNR" and a tall broadcast antenna. "Come on!"

The girls crossed a split open street and descended a dirt ramp into the basement of a ruined building. They had made it halfway through the building when a pair of super mutants attacked from the ledge to their right. The girls scrambled for cover among the scattered support pillars.

"Alright, Miyuki, you take the one on the left first, I'll draw their fire and try to weaken the one on the right-"

Konata was interrupted by the loud zaps of laser rifles overhead. Faced with the powerful weapons, the mutants were quickly put down.

"...Or not."

The girls made their way to the dirt ramp leading up to the left ledge, finding several Brotherhood of Steel troops. A woman without a helmet approached them.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you don't belong here. The super mutants have overrun our brothers at the Galaxy News Radio building, and we're headed there to back them up. The last thing we need is a group of locals slowing us down." She paused as she noticed Tsukasa. "Wait a minute, what are you two doing with one of our scribes?" she asked suspiciously.

"It's okay," Tsukasa said. "They're taking me to Galaxy News Radio. I was sent to collect a field report."

The woman snorted. "That's going to have to wait. Unfortunately, the building's been hit by mutants pretty hard lately. We're their backup. So if there is nothing else, we really need to move out. You can tag along if you want, but keep your heads down and try not to do anything... stupid." She started to lead them down a covered alley around to the next street.

"Thank you for the assistance," Miyuki said as they walked.

"You're welcome. I'm Sentinel Sarah Lyons of the Lyons' Pride, by the way. We do our best to hold back the super mutants in this area. But when civilians stumble into our sights, that gets a bit difficult, doesn't it?"

"So," Konata started to ask, "You guys looking for new recruits?"

"That's a negative. We've got too many local conscripts as it is. Most are undertrained and too damn trigger happy for their own good. Take our very own initiate Reddin," Lyons gestured toward a trooper with an assault rife. "She's a sterling example."

They reached another soldier crouched around a corner. Another trooper was laying on the ground beside him.

"What's the situation, Colvin?"

Colvin fired his laser rifle twice, downing a charging mutant.

"All clear, Sentinel. Five mutants released from their torment. The rest are keeping their heads down."

"Good." Lyons glanced at the trooper on the ground. "Jennings?"

"Negative." anther trooper answered.

Colvin glanced back at the girls. "New recruits?"

"Just a few strays we picked up," Lyons replied. "The ones that blundered into the uglies on 42nd."

"Welcome!" Colvin greeted them enthusiastically.

"Alright, it's the usual drill," Lyons said, "Reddin, you just do whatever Paladin Vargas says and keep your mouth shut."

"Yes ma'am."

"Just follow my lead, Reddin," Vargas said as the Pride moved out, "You're doing fine. No dead heroes today, okay?"

"Tsukasa, wait," Konata said as the other girls started to follow the Pride.

Tsukasa faced Konata. "What is it?"

"Here." Konata handed the scribe a laser pistol and several energy cells. "I don't think Jennings needs this anymore, and you won't last in a fight with just a 10mm."

"Okay," Tsukasa replied hesitantly. "I'm not sure I'll be any good though..."

They hurried out to find Miyuki finishing off a mutant with her rifle in the street. The Lyons' Pride had now turned their attention to several mutants firing down from the second story of Early Dawn Elementary across the street. The girls helped to quickly take down the remaining mutants.

"You know," Konata said as they crossed the school's playground to the back door, "It's kinda nice not being the only targets for once. I could get used to hanging around these guys!"

"Having the additional weaponry certainly makes things easier as well," Miyuki replied.

The group entered the school, finding only three mutants still inside. Their slow rifles barely got off two shots each before they were annihilated by seven separate weapons at once.

"Okay, the outpost is just to the south of us," Lyons said. "Colvin, you're the eyes. Vargas, Reddin, secure this building."

Konata and Tsukasa made their way to the front of the destroyed school with the rest of the Pride. Miyuki started to follow when Colvin tapped her on the shoulder. "Come with me if you like," he said as he headed for a set of stairs. "We'll have the best view."

Miyuki followed him up, and they skirted the mostly collapsed floors of the second story until they found a row of windows at the front of the building. They were overlooking the plaza in front of the Galaxy News Radio building, which was across the street. At least a dozen mutants, many of them well armored brutes, were laying siege on several Brotherhood troops defending the building. "This looks like the main force," Colvin said. "Many tormented souls will meet the Maker today. I will pray for forgiveness."

The two waited for several seconds before Sentinel Lyons initiated the attack. Laser fire erupted out from the main gates of the school, prompting Miyuki and Colvin to begin attacking. Konata took the opportunity to rush out and charge the mutants, darting among them and delivering leaping slashes with her sword. Even Tsukasa was landing a few hits with her new laser pistol. The mutants hadn't even returned fire yet; they hadn't been expecting to be shot at from behind. Before long, only a single mutant remained; Miyuki took the honor of the final kill with a well placed headshot.

"That was insane! I killed seven of them!" Konata exclaimed as the rest of the group approached her. "I must of gotten shot at least eight times!"

"Um, that's great?" Tsukasa replied as Konata slid a stimpak into her wrist. She threw a thumbs up at Miyuki, still in the school window.

"We're all clear out here," Lyons spoke into her radio as she passed the girls. "You can have your troops stand down."

"I'll be right back, Kona-chan. I need to ask Sentinel Lyons something."

"Sure thing," Konata replied before Tsukasa ran to catch up with Lyons. The rogue turned to the approaching Vargas and Reddin. "Hey, Reddin! Awesome battle, huh?"

"You know it!" Reddin faced Vargas. "So how'd I do, Vargas? I pass my little trial run? Come on, Lyons' Pride needs me and you know it! That Citadel guard duty is such bullshit!" She started firing her rifle into the air.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see. Now knock that off," Vargas replied, casting an irritated glance at Konata as she joined in with her pistol. "You're wasting ammo."

"Aw, come on," Reddin whined, "We just kicked their asses!"

"We need to sweep the area," Vargas replied. "You think those were all the uglies in D.C.? You take the east side, I'll go west."

"Okay, okay."

"Once we're inside, then we'll celebrate."

"Now you're talking!"

"Yeah," Konata chimed in as Reddin jogged to the east side of the plaza, "Now you're talking!"

"Hey, is something wrong?" Tsukasa asked as she reached Lyons, who appeared agitated.

Lyons ignored her. "Are you serious? Where?"

"What is is?" Tsukasa asked fearfully.

Lyons suddenly grabbed the scribe's arm and dragged her behind some sandbags.

"Colvin! We've got trouble!" she shouted into her radio.

"Go on," Colvin replied.

Miyuki gave him a confused look. "What is it?"

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the plaza. "Holy shit! What was that?" Reddin shouted.

"Reddin! Get out of there!" Vargas shouted.

"Behemoth!"

The pair of city buses blocking the east alleyway suddenly exploded, frying Reddin and revealing an enormous super mutant.

"Woah..." Konata could only stare, dumbstruck, as a chunk of the bus flew through the air and destroyed the fountain just feet behind her. "Haruhi help us..."

The behemoth towered over the plaza at over twenty five feet tall, and was covered in armor made from scrap, including a car door used as a shield. The beast wore shopping carts as backpacks and wielded a fire hydrant, still attached to its water main, as a club. Human heads were strung around its neck and waist.

In just a few short strides, the behemoth had reached the center of the plaza, ready to bring its hydrant down on the bright blue target. Konata dove to the side, uselessly firing off the remaining rounds in her pistol. The hydrant smashed down into the concrete, leaving a crater where Konata had just been standing.

By now, every weapon in the plaza was being fired at the monster; laser bolts and rifle rounds flew from all directions. The beast didn't even slow. It swung its hydrant into a Brotherhood trooper, sending him slamming into a wall.

Konata jumped behind the sandbags with Lyons and Tsukasa as the beast lifted a soldier into the air and crushed him in its fist. "How do the heck do we beat this thing?"

Lyons ignored her and shouted into her radio. "We need all troops and ordinance you've got in there, now!" Within moments, a fresh wave of Brotherhood troops came running out of the Galaxy News Radio building. The behemoth charged over to the group, but was finally halted by a massive mushroom cloud, searing much of its flesh. One of the knights was wielding a Fat Man nuclear catapult.

The behemoth zeroed in on the knight as he loaded another mini-nuke into the weapon. The knight took aim, but found a fire hydrant slamming into his side before he could fire. The Fat Man misfired as it was launched across the plaza, sending the deadly projectile at the Galaxy News Radio building.

"Look out!" Lyons shouted, shoving Konata away as a pile of debris came barreling down at them.

"Wait!" Konata shouted, "Tsukasa!"

The scribe was frozen from fear, staring up at the blocks of concrete bearing down on her. A trooper rushed down the steps of the building and tackled Tsukasa to the ground, narrowly avoiding the debris.

Tsukasa stared up at her rescuer with surprise. "Th-Thank you!"

The trooper quickly got to his feet and started sprinting for the Fat Man.

"Initiate, wait!" Lyons called after him. "It's too dangerous!"

"I gotta say, that guy's got guts," Konata said with a grin. "I think I'll try improving his odds."

Lyons shook her head. "You wastelanders must all have death wishes."

"Well, we've got nothing to lose at this point!"

The rogue dashed forward across the plaza, easily catching up to the initiate. "I'll get his attention!" she called out, holding up a frag grenade. The initiate nodded and broke off from Konata. The otaku hurled the grenade high at the monster's head. The explosion wasn't enough to seriously harm the beast, but it was enough to focus its full attention on her. Konata drew her blades, grinning wide as the behemoth stomped towards her. She rolled sideways to dodge the predictable downward swing before jumping forwards and grabbing the beast's scrap metal boot. She clung on as the behemoth kicked and thrashed to shake her loose. Konata watched as the initiate reached the Fat Man and hefted it to his shoulder.

"Looks like this is where I get off!" Konata released her grip as the behemoth kicked, sending herself flying towards the initiate. She came sliding in feet first as the Fat Man's pneumatic piston launched the mini-nuke. The explosive arched through the air before landing at the behemoth's feet. The beast was momentarily shrouded by a mushroom cloud, but it soon rushed at its attackers. The explosion had crippled its legs, however, so it was forced to slowly limp towards them.

"Well?" Konata said, giving the initiate a pointed look. "Take it out!"

"No ammo," the initiate replied, looking around for another mini-nuke. Konata's eyes widened as she frantically started searching as well. The behemoth reached them before they could do anything, however, swinging its hydrant in a wide arc. The initiate's heavy armor forced him to take the hit, sending him flying towards the school and slamming his helmet against the wall. The impact shattered one of his eyepieces and ripped out a respirator hose. Konata vaulted over the hydrant as it swung, but she was swatted out of midair and sent flying after the initiate. She hit the ground and tumbled until she slammed into the wall as well.

"Konata-san!" Konata looked up and saw Miyuki leaning out of the window above them. "Another projectile is in the fountain!" She pointed to the center of the plaza with her rifle. The two had no choice but to run straight past the behemoth as it slowly closed on them. The beast swung as they approached, but Konata was too fast, easily dodging the blow. She drew its attention as she ran between its legs, allowing the initiate to skirt around the beast. When they had both passed, the rogue sprinted toward the fountain, narrowly dodging a swing as the behemoth struggled to keep up. She leaped into the fountain and scooped up the mini-nuke.

"Catch!" she shouted as she hurled the projectile at the initiate. The initiate managed to catch it by the tail fin and loaded it into the Fat Man. Konata ducked and covered as the projectile soared into the behemoth's back. Even with the behemoth end the rim of the fountain for cover, Konata could still feel the intense heat from the powerful explosion. The behemoth was now completely scorched, and it was now feeling the sting from the heavy crossfire directed at it. Enraged, it reached into the fountain and grabbed Konata. The initiate began firing his assault rifle at the beast's hand, backing away as it came at him.

"Hey! Over here!"

The initiate turned to see Tsukasa running towards him, carrying a mini-nuke. The initiate turned back to the behemoth, only to find a fire hydrant coming at him. He dove away, scrambling to get to Tsukasa. The scribe was firing her laser pistol at the behemoth's hand as the initiate reached her. The initiate loaded the projectile and got ready to fire.

"Don't shoot yet!" Konata called out as she struggled to free herself from the beast's grip. The rogue managed to squirm her sword arm loose and plunged the weapon down into the behemoth's wrist. The blade easily stabbed into the beast's charred skin, causing it to recoil its hand and send Konata flying. She plowed down onto Tsukasa as the initiate fired off the last mini-nuke.

Miyuki watched the scene unfold from her spot on the school's second story. Suddenly, she realized with horror that the mini-nuke was arching too high. _Oh no! It's going to fly right past it! There has to be something I can do to help!_ _Wait, if I can shoot the projectile, then maybe I can detonate it!_ She cycled her rifle's bolt and took aim. _I can't miss this time!_

The world slowed to a crawl as Miyuki lined up her shot. She watched as the explosive slowly arched closer to the beast. Scattered assault rifle and laser fire slowly passed by the nuke; the others had realized what was happening and were trying to shoot it as well. Miyuki held her breath as the nuke approached the behemoth's shoulder. She waited until the projectile was next to the monster's head, keeping her barrel a few inches ahead of her target as she pulled the trigger. The .32 round streaked through the air, taking what felt like an eternity to reach the target. The round barely nicked the outer casing of the nuke, but it was enough to set off the devastating explosive.

The behemoth was engulfed in nuclear fire, searing away much of what was left of its charred and scorched hide. The remaining Brotherhood troops cheered as the giant husk collapsed to the ground.

"That was amazing!" Tsukasa said to the initiate as he turned around. "Who are you?"

Konata grinned as the initiate reached for his smashed helmet. "There's only one person I know who would take on a monster like that by herself."

The initiate lifted up her helmet, revealing sharp indigo eyes and letting long, lilac twintails spill over her shoulders.

"And that's Kagami!"

"Sis!" Tsukasa pounced on her twin, smothering her in a hug. "I can't believe you killed that behemoth!"

"Nice to see you too," Kagami said as Tsukasa squeezed her. "And I can't take full credit. We all killed the behemoth."

"Darn right we did!" Konata exclaimed. "That was the best fight I've ever been in! Especially since I was fighting alongside my Kagamin!" The otaku chuckled. "You know, I almost didn't recognize your voice out there. You sounded so deep and manly!"

Kagami faced way from Konata. "It's not my fault the helmet speaker makes my voice deep!" she huffed before noticing Miyuki approaching.

"Oh, you must be the marksman who hit my mini-nuke," Kagami said to Miyuki.

"Hm? How did you know that was me?"

"You're the only one here with a hunting rifle, and it was a .32 round that detonated the nuke."

"Sis is really into guns and ammo and things like that," Tsukasa chimed in.

"So, you two are sisters?" Miyuki asked. "I can certainly see the resemblance!"

"Yeah, me and Tsukasa are twins. I'm Kagami."

"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagami-san. My name is Miyuki Takara."

"Isn't she adorable?" Konata said as she wrapped her arms around Miyuki's waist. "I found her in Springvale not even a week ago. She's the one that came from that vault."

"Konata," Kagami sighed, "You shouldn't invade people's personal space like that. It's rude."

"Oh, it's quite alright," Miyuki said, sweatdropping as Konata squeezed. "Konata-san is only teasing."

"I guess it's my turn to thank you." The girls turned to see Sentinel Lyons approaching them. "You wastelanders did good out there today. And initiate," she faced Kagami, "Charging out like that was the most dangerous thing I've ever seen anyone do. Good job. Keep making the Brotherhood proud."

Kagami saluted. "Yes ma'am!"

"You sure you're not looking for recruits?" Konata asked slyly.

"I'm sure. You can handle yourself, I'll give you that." Lyons crossed her arms. "But lets not get carried away. Anyway, the area's secure, so you're free to talk to Three Dog if you need to. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Paladin Vargas. I think he's taking Reddin's death pretty hard."

"I'm truly sorry about her passing," Miyuki said.

"She died well," Lyons replied. "In the end, that's all that really matters. Farewell."

"Well, come on, guys!" Konata said as Lyons walked away. "Its time to go meet Three Dog! And you're coming too, Kagamin! You're officially a member of this party!"

* * *

Greetings, all! What did you think of chapter 8? It's a bit later than promised, but that last scene turned out longer – and better – than I expected. Clocking in at over a thousand words, the behemoth fight by itself takes up a large chunk of the chapter; a fitting entrance for team muscle Kagami.

And speaking of character intros, after looking over my newly written outline for the story, I can say that new characters will be revealed at a much faster pace than before; in fact, the next chapter will most definitely feature another Lucky Star girl. This is probably because the group is covering much more ground than in previous chapters, where they mostly stayed in Megaton. And if you liked the idea of having the character intros spaced out, don't worry. While a bunch will be shown within a short period of time, not all of them are in the same place. There's still a bit of time before they all make an appearance.

I have to say, this was my favorite chapter to write so far. The behemoth battle was an obvious highlight, but the mirelurk encounter, and the banter immediately after, was the most fun to write. Slowing things down for a bit in the metro was nice too.

All in all, I hope you are all enjoying the story. Maybe if I keep picking up the pace, I can have chapters out every few days! (Yeah right. Like that's actually going to happen. It would be nice though, huh?) Anyway, just keep on reading. And don't be afraid to tell me what you think!


	9. Galaxy News Radio

"The looks on your faces say it all."

Miyuki and Konata were greeted by a dark skinned man wearing sunglasses and a headwrap as they ascended the stairs into the broadcast studio.

"You're wondering who the heck this guy is and why you should care. Well, prepare to be enlightened." The man took a bow. "I am Three Dog – jockey of discs and teller of truths. Lord and master over the finest radio station to grace the Wastes – Galaxy News Radio." Three Dog pointed at Miyuki. "And you, I know who you are. Heard about you leavin' that Vault, travelin' the unknown. Just like dear old Mom, hm?"

"So, you're the guy from the radio," Konata said.

"Yep! Guilty as charged!" Three Dog chuckled. "You know, I don't usually get exposure to the public like this. It's nice to know someone's listening. Makes carrying on the Good Fight that much easier."

Miyuki tilted her head. "The Good Fight? What do you mean by that?"

"Imagine a picture, okay?" Three Dog started, "A picture of the Capitol Wasteland. All that brick and rock. A whole lot of nothing, right? There's people out there trying to just barely make it by from day to day. Fighting to stay alive and make something out of what they got. But then you've got all kinds of shit... super mutants, raiders, slavers... They all want a slice of the pie too, and they aim to take it by force."

"So?" Konata asked. "People fight back."

"People like you, sure. Those kind of people are on the front lines of the Good Fight. But not everyone is cut out for bigger and better things. Most people just can't go up against those kind of enemies. They're forced to run away and hide or they stay and die. It just ain't right. So that's where I enter the picture. I fight the Good Fight with GNR as my gun. The truth goes out across the Capitol Wasteland and with it, the word about the Good Fight."

"I see," Miyuki said. "You use your radio station to keep the people informed and rally them to your cause."

"Exactly right. You're a bright kid; you catch on quick. Now we need to find out how you two fit into the Good Fight. You see, Galaxy News has hit a bit of a snag. I need your help getting her back up to speed."

"What kind of help would you need from us?" Konata looked around at the equipment panels lining the walls. "You seem to have everything you need here."

"I have the name and the talent, but what I don't have are people to run out and do the stuff I need." Three Dog shrugged. "Sure, the Brotherhood watches over the place, yeah! But that's all they can spare. Galaxy News needs a doer. Someone who can go out there into that wild world and get shit done. You want to find your mom, and it just so happens her location is known to yours truly. So, you game?"

"How did you know I was looking for my mother?" Miyuki asked, a bit surprised.

"Oh, come on," Three Dog replied. "You're a spitting image of the gal. She's been here before, and now you're here. Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. But if you want to know more, you're going to have to contribute to the Good Fight."

Miyuki nodded. "Very well. To find my Mother, I'm ready for anything."

"Good, 'cause this isn't going to be easy. Galaxy News Radio is my baby. I love it, I feed it, I keep it changed. But there's one problem. No one outside of D.C. can hear her cry. You see, some brainless super mutant thought it would be funny to shoot at the shiny round thing on the Washington Monument."

"And that was something necessary to keep Galaxy News functional?"

"Yep. That shiny thing was our broadcast relay. Now it's swiss cheese. Without it, our broadcast range is quite limited. Sure, you tune in from down the street and you'll hear me just fine. But get past the walls of D.C., and all you get is static."

"Now that you mention it," Konata said, finger on her chin. "We stopped getting Galaxy News on our radio back in Megaton a while back."

"Right, and to fix that, we need another dish. Of course, the factory that made the relay dishes is long gone. Leveled. As in, we're never gonna scavenge that part again."

"I get the feeling that replacing that part is going to be risky," Konata said.

"It IS risky. I would never lie to you." Three Dog looked at Miyuki. "But there's something behind those eyes of yours that screams 'I'm the one that can get shit done!' Your mom had that same look in her eyes too. That's why Three Dog's helping you."

Miyuki nodded. "All right. How can we help?"

"One of the Brotherhood guys that passed through here mentioned seeing a dish in one of D.C.'s old museums. It's the dish off the old Virgo II Lunar Lander in the Museum of Technology. I want you to get it and bring it to the Washington Monument to replace the bad one. That's it."

Konata grinned. "That doesn't sound too bad. You've got yourself a deal, right Yuki-chan?"

Miyuki nodded. "Agreed. We will repair your broadcast relay."

A big smile spread across Three Dog's face. "I sure know how to pick 'em! You're going to be the best thing that ever happened to Galaxy News in a long time. To get to the museum, just head out the back door of GNR and take the collapsed car tunnel to the other side of Dupont. Then take the metro tunnels until you're there. Be careful though. The place is swarming with super mutants."

Konata waved her hand. "Ha, super mutants are no problem for us! Did you see that fight we just had?"

"Don't get too cocky," Three Dog cautioned. "You won't have the Brotherhood to back you up, and I hear that the Mall has more mutants than anywhere else in D.C. The place is a warzone. Just get that dish fixed and get out."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful," Miyuki assured him.

The two walked back down the stairs to the lobby, where Tsukasa and Kagami were waiting.

"So, how did it go?" Kagami asked.

"Three dog has asked us to replace the broadcast relay atop the Washington Monument in exchange for the location of my mother," Miyuki informed them.

"We have to go to the Museum of Technology first to get a replacement," Konata added. "You two are coming along, right?" The question sounded more like a statement.

"Sure," Tsukasa replied. "I've got the report from Sentinel Lyons, so I can keep traveling with you guys."

"As long as you return to the Citadel relatively soon," Kagami reminded her. "But yes, we can both go with you. The rest of my squad was killed during the battle, so Sentinel Lyons said I can escort Tsukasa back to the Citadel, where I'll be reassigned."

"Alright! We've got a full party now!" Konata exclaimed as they made their way to the back door. "I'm the Rogue, Miyuki's the Archer, Kagami's the Warrior, and Tsukasa..." She stared at Tsukasa. "Well, she's weak like a Wizard, but she doesn't have their strong attacks... Maybe she can be our Bard?"

Kagami sighed. "Why do you always relate things to those ancient games? It makes you sound like..."

"An otaku?" Konata guessed.

"A nerd."

Konata frowned. "Kagami, why must you say such hurtful things?" She threw herself onto the initiate. "Don't you care about me?"

"Get off!" Kagami shouted.

"Should we say something?" Miyuki asked Tsukasa as they trailed behind the other two.

"No, they're always like this. It actually means they're getting along, in a weird way."

The girls passed through the back door and found themselves in a collapsed wing of the building. Below them was the road leading to the car tunnel.

"Come on guys," Konata said as she dropped down to the next floor. "We'll have that dish in no time."

* * *

"I cannot believe you two! You are a disgrace to the Enclave!"

Akira and Minoru were standing outside of Arlington, where they had the misfortune of stumbling across an Enclave Eyebot. The floating spherical robot was now being used by Colonel Autumn to communicate with them directly.

"I'm sorry sir," Minoru said nervously. "We should be getting close to finding this girl."

"I don't want excuses! I want results!" The Eyebot's speaker crackled as Autumn shouted through it.

"But sir," Akira started, wearing her cutest pout. "We've got a really good lead now! A really really good one!"

"You had better hope so, Kogami!" Autumn was fuming. "You are in deep water as it is. Flying during the day, losing a Vertibird _and_ its crew, unauthorized use of plasma weaponry, slaughtering locals... If you don't bring this girl in, it'll be your heads! Do I make myself clear?"

Akira and Minoru cringed. "Yes sir."

"Good. Now get to it!"

The Eyebot suddenly began playing the National Anthem before resuming its usual wandering, playing Enclave Radio for whoever it could find.

"Akira-sama," Minoru asked as they started walking. "What do you think will happen to us if we don't catch this girl?"

Akira shrugged. "I don't know. I would probably get reassigned to some tiny outpost in the middle of nowhere. You, on the other hand, would probably be used as a test subject in the Deathclaw experiments."

"Y-You don't mean that, right?"

"Oh yeah, you'd definitely be Deathclaw food. But it's a moot point, because we are going to catch this Miyuki girl." Akira clenched her fists. "This is personal now. That girl has caused me too much trouble. I'm not stopping until we catch her."

* * *

"Look out, here's another one!" Kagami shouted as a feral ghoul came running down from the platform. She finished her current target with burst from her assault rifle before turning to the new one.

"Guys, help!" Tsukasa called as a ghoul charged her while she replaced the energy cell in her laser pistol. Konata spun back and stabbed the charging ghoul's face with her knife while simultaneously parrying her own target with her sword. "Thanks!" Tsukasa called as she continued firing.

"No problem," Konata called back, finishing her target with a slash to the neck.

Miyuki picked off a ghoul with her rifle before noticing another getting too close. She ducked away from its slash, drawing her sawed-off shotgun and blasting it. "These creatures are quite relentless," she remarked as she resumed her long range attacks.

"Isn't this supposed to be the route the Brotherhood takes between the Mall and Galaxy News?" Konata asked as she drove her sword through another ghoul. "Shouldn't they do a better job keeping it clear?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kagami said sarcastically as she beat down a ghoul with the butt of her rifle. "We were too busy killing super mutants to hunt down every ghoul and raider in the metros!"

The girls tensely scanned through the shadows, searching for more hostiles.

"Hey, I think that was the last of them!" Tsukasa said after several moments.

"This is getting ridiculous," Kagami sighed as she lowered her rifle. "Three metro stations and a car tunnel full of ghouls, and three camps of raiders in the maintenance tunnels."

"Yeah, definitely not fun grinding so many low level NPCs," Konata agreed. "But Yuki-chan did a good job with those raiders in the cave, hacking that security turret to take them out for us."

"Oh, that was nothing, really," Miyuki replied.

"Hey, guys," Tsukasa said, "I think there's something wrong with my laser pistol. I was stating to get better with it, but then my shots started going where I wasn't pointing."

"Here, let me see it," Kagami said. She examined the weapon after Tsukasa handed it to her. "I think I found the problem." The initiate held the pistol out for the others to see. "See this? The focusing lens is cracked. You'll have to find a new one from another pistol." She handed the weapon back to Tsukasa. "It also sounds like there are pieces rattling loose inside the casing. You should look into getting that thing fixed."

"Wow, I hadn't thought about needing to keep it all fixed up," Tsukasa admitted.

"One of the first things they taught me when I became an initiate was to always keep your weapon maintained," Kagami explained. "I'm no expert on energy weapons, but I've heard that if they get damaged, they get much weaker than a normal gun would."

"Now that you mention it," Miyuki said, "My rifle hasn't been causing as much damage as it used to, and I've just noticed that the barrel is coming loose."

"That makes sense," Kagami replied. "If the barrel is loose, then more energy from each shot is going to be absorbed by the gun rather then your target."

"Oh! I've got something for your gun, Miyuki," Konata said, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a roll of duct tape and wrapped the barrel to the body of the gun.

"Well, I suppose that will help a little," Kagami said. "But like I said before, your weapon needs to be properly maintained to ensure its effectiveness."

"I guess I'll look up how to repair weapons when I get back to the Citadel," Tsukasa said as they started up the stairs to the platform.

"That's really something you should have learned by now," Kagami said. "As a scribe, your job is maintaining the Brotherhood's technology. Have you been neglecting your studies again?"

"Well, I always try to study after working on my assignments," Tsukasa said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "But then I start to get real tired, so I listen to the radio to help keep me awake. Then Three Dog puts on a song I really like, so I can't help but sing along, you know?"

"Oh, I know how that is," Konata said, "One time when I was cooking some noodles, I started singing along with a song on the radio, and when I went back to my noodles, they were all soggy and over irradiated from sitting in the water too long."

"Don't encourage her," Kagami said to Konata. "Tsukasa, you really need work on not getting distracted so easily."

"I know, Sis. I'll try..."

"Hey, I think we finally found the right station!" Konata exclaimed, pointing at another Brotherhood sign. "Come on! We can go out to the surface here!"

"Thank goodness!" Tsukasa sighed as they followed Konata up the tunnel to the surface. "No more tunnels!"

Konata burst through the chain link gate out into the sunlight. "Whoa," Konata said as she surveyed the landscape of the Mall. "Talk about a warzone..."

A massive network of trenches, at least eight feet deep and all reinforced with strong planks of wood or slabs of concrete, had been dug out in front of the girls. Steel girders and barbed wire made up several barricades dotting the uneven land above the trenches. The trenches led to the Capitol Building in the east, the characteristic dome of which had caved in on one side.

"To think," Kagami said as the girls started walking, "This was the seat of government before the war... And now look at it." Konata suddenly stopped, causing Kagami to bump into her. "Hey," Kagami said, "What's wrong-"

"Shh!" Konata pointed ahead at the trench. Inside were several super mutants, their backs turned. "Come on, we'll go around," Konata whispered. "Stay quiet."

They started south down a broken road that cut across the Mall, weapons ready. Before they had taken three steps, however, the clatter of an assault rifle rang out behind them. Kagami cringed as three rounds slammed into the back of her armor. "Go! Run for it!" The firing attracted the attention of the other mutants; within seconds, the girls were being peppered with .32 rounds from the trench.

"At least they'll have a hard time hitting us from down there!" Konata shouted. As if to spite her, an armored brute appeared atop the ridge to their left, wielding a minigun. The weapon's six barrels started spinning before spewing down a hail of bullets. Kagami rushed forward to put herself between the gun and her friends. "Keep moving!" she shouted as she took several more hits.

Despite the weapon's horrible accuracy, a 5mm round tore through Tsukasa's robe and grazed her leg. She cried out and stumbled, sending herself down into the trench below. "Tsukasa!" Kagami turned her assault rifle away from the brute and down towards the mutants in the trench, keeping their attention off her sister.

Miyuki fired off her rifle at the brute; she missed its head, but the round slammed into the minigun instead. The spinning barrels ground to a halt, and the mutant struggled to unjam the weapon.

"Good thinking, Miyuki!" Konata called back. "I'll finish him, you take point and help Kagami lead Tsukasa out of the trench!" Konata pointed down a side path running parallel to the trench.

"Right!" Miyuki replied with a nod. "Kagami-san, this way!" she shouted as she started down the path.

Konata dashed further down the road as the minigun started firing again. 5mm rounds trailed behind her as she sprinted across the broken pavement. She found the ramp up to the ridge and charged the mutant, taking a few rounds before reaching it. She leaped on top of the minigun as the mutant struggled to track her, springboarding up and grabbing onto the mutant's shoulder armor.

"You muties think you're so tough with your big guns," Konata taunted as she slashed its face. "But all it takes to kill you is a sharp knife and a spring in your step!" She plunged the knife into the mutant's neck, ending its struggle to dislodge her.

"Keep moving, you're doing fine!" Kagami called down to Tsukasa as she attacked another mutant. Tsukasa moved through the trench as fast as she could; Kagami and Miyuki made sure to keep the pressure off of the scribe, allowing her to slip past the mutants.

Suddenly, Kagami heard a loud _whoosh!_ coming from behind her and Miyuki; she turned in time to see a missile spiraling towards them. "Look out!" Kagmai tackled Miyuki to the ground, allowing the missile to sail over them and into the trench. The resulting explosion killed three super mutants at once.

Somewhat confused and frightened by the explosion, Tsukasa started to move forward, but a mutant wielding a sledgehammer appeared from around the corner ahead. Tsukasa looked up to the ridge, but Kagami and Miyuki were no where in sight. Her eyes widened as she turned back to the charging mutant. "Sis? Where'd you go?" she called out as she fired her laser pistol.

The mutant reloaded its missile launcher as Kagami rose to her knees. The initiate sent off a volley of rounds from her assault rifle as the explosive took flight. One round managed to break the missile's casing, detonating the projectile. The mutant growled as it loaded its last missile. Kagami's assault rifle ran empty as the missile was launched; she and Miyuki braced for the impact.

The missile flew wide, flying into the ground several feet away from the girls. Kagami cringed as a wave of heat slammed into her back, slightly burning her. She looked up to see the mutant charging down the hill at them, ready to fight hand to hand. Miyuki fired twice, but only managed to strike its shoulder. Kagami started to reload, but her rifle was wretched from her grasp by a powerful punch. The initiate took a fighting stance as Miyuki moved behind her.

Tsukasa's laser pistol managed to deal several grazing hits before the mutant had reached her; the scribe barely managed to side step the incoming blow. She ran past the mutant as it recovered from its lunge, firing her pistol behind her. The mutant charged towards her, delivering a blow to Tsukasa's arm as it caught up to her, throwing her to the ground. Panicking, she fired off the last shots in her laser pistol, miraculously striking the mutant's face three times. The mutant clutched at its scorched face before glaring down at its helpless victim. It stomped down on Tsukasa, pinning her down before raising its sledgehammer.

Kagami tried to engage the brute hand to hand, to no avail. The mutant shrugged off her blows, delivering a punch that sent her stumbling back. Kagami launched a pair of punches, but the brute caught both and grasped her fists in its meaty hands. The mutant started pushing the initiate down to the ground; Kagami fought back, her T-45d Power Armor augmenting her own strength. It proved to be too little, however; the mutant steadily pushed her down to one knee, threatening to dislocate her shoulders.

Miyuki finished loading a fresh clip into her hunting rifle and took aim at the mutant before hearing a cry for help. She turned back to the trench and saw Tsukasa pinned by a super mutant. The vault dweller vaguely noticed a prick in her wrist as she tried to decide who to help. Time seemed to slow as the mutant brought down its sledgehammer. Miyuki took aim as Kagami started to cry out for help, firing her rifle one handed as she drew her shotgun. She turned back to the brute as her first target's head exploded, firing both shells point blank into its face. The brute recoiled in surprise, allowing Kagami to gain the advantage. The servo motors in her power armor whined and sputtered as she struggled to lift the mutant into the air.

Miyuki stared awestruck; Kagami was holding a being twice her size over her head. Exerting the last of her strength, the initiate threw the mutant down into the trench. The brute landed some eight feet down with a massive thud; Kagami soon followed. She delivered a punch straight down into its face, breaking its jaw and cheekbone. Still, the mutant refused to give up; with some effort it managed to shove the initiate off of itself. Kagami turned and saw Tsukasa on her knees, holding her stomach. "Tsukasa! Toss me that!" She pointed at the sledgehammer. Tsukasa picked up the sledge and threw it to Kagami. The initiate turned and swung the sledgehammer as the mutant was rising to its knees. The heavy end of the weapon smashed through the mutant's face, caving in the entire front of its skull.

Kagami ran back to Tsukasa, kneeling down beside her sister. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know, it feels like something is broken," Tsukasa replied.

A hunting rifle shot rang out. "Kagami-san! More of them are coming towards you!" Miyuki called down as she sent another shot further down the trench.

"Come on," Kagami said as she injected Tsukasa with a stimpak. "We've got to move." She pulled Tsukasa to her feet and lead her down the trench; Miyuki covered them from the ridge.

"There is a ramp further ahead!" she called down. "You need to hurry, before the mutants cut you off!"

The twins rounded a corner and kept running forward, careful not to trip over exposed sewer pipes. As they approached the ramp, another mutant came into sight. It fired a .32 round past them before Kagami threw an off-hand swing at its head. The blow briefly stunned the mutant, allowing them to make it up and out of the trench.

"Where do we go?" Miyuki asked as she rejoined them, firing her rifle into the group of mutants climbing out of the trench.

"Anywhere but here!" Kagami called back. "Wait," Tsuaksa shouted, "Where's Kona-chan?"

"That's a very good question," Kagami replied.

"Kagami-sama!"

The three looked up to see Konata standing on a dirt mound ahead of them.

"Look what I got for you!" The rogue slid down the slope and ran alongside the others, lugging the minigun behind her. "Here, you wanna take this? It's getting a little heavy."

Kagami took the heavy weapon, though she was able to lift it with relative ease. "Wow, thanks Konata. I've always wanted to use one of these." The initiate paused as she noticed a dozen super mutants on the other side of the mound Konata had come from. "Konata, would you care to explain where all those mutants came from?" she shouted as the mutants started firing.

"Oh yeah, those guys saw me kill their buddy, and they weren't too happy about it."

"Honestly, Konata," Kagami said as she spun up the barrels of her minigun. "Did you have to attract every mutant in the Mall to us?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to make it too easy on us!"

The minigun started spewing out 5mm rounds at the mob of mutants. Kagami hadn't expected the amount of recoil the gun was putting out, but it hardly mattered thanks to the sheer number of targets.

"There's way too many of them!" Kagami shouted as the mutants from the trenches merged with the mob.

"There's a building up ahead!" Konata called back, "Just keep running!"

The girls passed into a long courtyard leading up to a building with decorative marble pillars on its front. A pair of mutants stood between them and the building; Konata lunged forward and impaled the first while Miyuki downed the other with a pair of headshots. Dozens of bullets flew towards them from behind as they dashed up the steps. They burst through the doors to the buildings and slammed them shut as more bullets came flying through.

Kagami looked over her friends; they had each taken several bullet wounds, though most were grazing shots. "How many stimpaks do we have?" she asked as they locked the doors. "I know I've got two."

"I'm afraid I am not carrying any," Miyuki replied.

"Me either," Tsukasa added.

"I've got four," Konata said.

"Great," Kagami said, "Only six between us. I'll be amazed if we make it out of this."

"Come on," Konata moved through the lobby towards some double doors. "Lets try to find a better spot to defend."

The rogue threw open the doors and found herself in a large rotunda; she also found a frag mine beneath her foot. "Uh oh," she muttered as it started beeping. Konata dove away as it exploded, but she landed in between three more, setting off their proximity sensors. She was forced to dive over one as it exploded, shredding through her leg with shards of shrapnel. "Dang it!" she cursed as she jammed a stimpak into her leg. "It's Minefield all over again!"

"Are you alright?" Miyuki asked as she caught up to the otaku.

"No, my leg is mince meat. Sorry guys, it looks like I'm out of commission for now."

"Well that's just great!" Kagami said as her and Miyuki lifted Konata up. "You should be more careful, if not for your own sake then for ours! This fight would've been hard enough even with your help!"

"Hey!"

The girls turned and saw a girl in thick leather armor pointing a 10mm sub-machine gun at them. She had bright blue eyes and short blond hair.

"Just what do you think you're doing in here? If you're after the Declaration of Independence, then you can forget about it! That reward is mine!" She spoke with a slight Midwestern accent. "Wait a second... Konata? Is that you?"

Konata stared at the girl for a moment before remembering. "Oh! Patty-chan! Long time no see!"

"No time for a reunion," Kagami said as she heard the mutants banging on the door in the lobby. She dragged Konata behind Patty's sandbag barrier. "There's over a dozen super mutants out there, and they want us dead. I'm sure they won't mind shooting you either."

"Super mutants? What'd you bring them here for?"

"We had no choice," Kagami said as she surveyed the room. Patty had set up multiple barriers out of sandbags, desks, and shelves. "At least we'll have cover. Do you have any other weapons?"

"Just this," Patty replied, holding up her SMG.

"Great," Kagami said, "So we have an SMG, a broken laser pistol, a broken hunting rifle," She checked the box magazine hanging off her minigun. "And an almost empty minigun. It was nice knowing you all," she said, deadpan.

"Hey! This isn't just any old SMG!" Patty exclaimed. "It's my completely custom Ultra SMG! I did all the upgrades myself; it's way better than any other SMG in the Capitol Wasteland."

"Don't forget me!" Konata said. "Just because I'm down, that doesn't mean I'm out! I've got four grenades I can use from back here, and I grabbed a spare magazine for your new toy." She handed Kagami the large box magazine. "Not to mention my pistol and Miyuki-chan's shotgun. We've got a bit more firepower than you might think."

"I'm still skeptical," Kagami said as she rested her gun on the sandbags. "But I guess we can hope."

The front door of the building burst open, letting in a wave of angry super mutants. Kagami spun up her minigun's barrels as the mutants flooded into the rotunda. "Well, here goes nothing!"

* * *

"See? I told you we could do it!" Konata proclaimed.

Kagami sat down beside her to rest. "I'm still amazed that we did."

The initiate looked out over the carnage; nineteen super mutant corpses were scattered around the rotunda. It had been a difficult battle; Kagami could see the exhaustion in her friends eyes, and the blood slowly seeping from their wounds. "Patricia-san, do you have any stimpaks?"

"Yeah, they're back with my equipment. Hold on a minute."

"So, how many times did you get shot?" Konata asked excitedly. "I took at least fifteen hits!"

"That's not really something to be proud of," Kagami replied. "And if you want to know so badly, than count the dents in my armor. All I know is that I'm sore all over."

Konata faced Miyuki and Tsukasa. "What about you guys?"

"I took nine shots. I believe Kagami-san received the brunt of the attack. She did her best to protect myself and Tsukasa-san."

"I didn't get shot so much," Tsukasa said, "But my stomach is still sore from when that mutant stomped on me."

"Here you go, guys," Patty said as she handed them each a stimpak.

"Hey, Kona-chan," Tsukasa asked as they applied the stimpaks, "How is it that we can get shot so many times without being killed?"

"Well, part of it is what we're wearing. Kagami has her heavy armor, so she can take a lot of hits. As for me and Miyuki, our clothes are actually a lot thicker than you would think, so they block some of the damage." Konata held her chin. "But somehow I don't think that armor alone is what's saving us. It feels like there must be something else."

"I think I might know how to explain it," Miyuki said. "I've been thinking it over for a while now, and I think it has to do with a few different factors." She held up her finger. "First, it may have something to do with the ammunition being used. The propellant used to fire the bullets loses its potency over time. Since all this ammunition is over two hundred years old in most cases, its ballistic energy is likely to be reduced. The second factor may have to do with natural resistance. I'm not an expert on the science surrounding mutations, but it seems likely that the minor background radiation present throughout the Wasteland could cause unnoticeable mutations over generations, perhaps increasing the natural resilience of today's generation over that of two hundred years ago. The third factor seems to be personal injury tolerance. Konata-san, for example, is able to withstand several more direct gunshots than I can simply because she has experienced it more; that is to say, she is used to the pain. Also, when a wound heals on the human body, the affected area is generally strengthened by the healing process. Perhaps repeated stimpak usage amplifies this effect to a degree."

"Wow, you really do have an answer for everything, Yuki-chan!" Tsukasa said.

Miyuki blushed modestly. "Not at all. I'm merely extrapolating based on what I have seen or read. I can't be sure that my theories are entirely accurate, due to the amount of variables involved."

"But in the end," Konata started, "I suppose it all boils down to the fact that we're PCs."

"Life isn't a game," Kagami said flatly. "You should take such things more seriously."

"But isn't life just one big RPG?" Patty said.

"Exactly!" Konata exclaimed.

"Don't encourage her." Kagami said to Patty. "By the way, Konata, you never properly introduced us to your friend."

"Oh, right! Guys, I'd like you to meet Patricia Martin, or Patty-chan for short."

Miykuki bowed to Patty. "It's very nice to meet you Patricia-san. My name is Miyuki Takara."

Patty shot a sly glance at Konata. "So, where did you find this fine specimen?"

Konata grinned. "You like her? I found her out in Springvale. She got herself into some trouble after climbing out of that Vault."

"I see." Patty faced Miyuki. "So you're the vault dweller I've been hearing about," she said as she looked Miyuki over. "Nice legs, perfectly curved figure, beautiful hair, glasses, and breasts bigger than mine! A true embodiment of moe. I'm very pleased to meet you, Miyuki-chan!"

Miyuki sweatdropped. "Um, thank you."

"Ahem," Kagami interrupted, "If we're done talking like dirty old men, then perhaps we could finish introductions."

"Right, sorry about that," Patty apologized. "And you two are?"

"I'm Kagami Hiiragi, and this is my sister Tsukasa."

"Hello," Tsukasa said.

"I thought you two would be related. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Kagami replied. "That was some good shooting, by the way. I didn't know you could get an SMG to chew through mutants like that."

"Yep, this little baby's got the works," Patty replied proudly. "Increased damage, rate of fire, and ammo capacity. I could kill muties all day with this thing!"

"Patty-chan is a bit of a gun nut," Konata said. "Even back when we were younger, she was always talking about ways to boost the stats of different guns."

"How do you two know each other, Kona-chan?" Tsukasa asked.

"Patty-chan used to work at my dad's saloon a few years back, a little while after you and Kagami moved out of Megaton," Konata replied. "She was really popular with the customers."

"Especially with that cute waitress outfit your dad had me wear. Your dad was always such a pervert, Konata! But I guess being as cute as I was didn't help."

"Especially with those assets of yours. They've gotten bigger, I see."

"You would definitely be one to notice that, Konata!"

"Changing the subject," Kagami interrupted, sounding irriated. "What were you doing in here, Patricia-san? You mentioned the Declaration of Independence before."

"Well, normally I wouldn't talk about it, but since you're all friends with Konata, I guess I can trust you. I've been hired by Abraham Washington in Rivet City to find the Declaration of Independence. See, this building is actually the National Archive; all kinds of important documents were stored here before the war. Abraham Washington runs an American history museum, so he pays anyone he can find to get historic pre-war relics."

Konata's face lit up. "You think you'll need any help with that? Treasure hunting sounds like fun!"

"You're supposed to be searching for a radio dish," Kagami pointed out.

"Oh, come on, Kagamin," Konata whined. "What's a sidequest or two going to matter? We'll get the dish, we've just gotta find this paper first."

"That's not just some paper; it's the Declaration of Independence. Do you even know what that is?"

"Um... no."

"I'm afraid I don't know either," Tsukasa said timidly.

"You're kidding me. That was definitely covered in your studies!"

Tsukasa blushed. "Well, I must've forgot, or maybe I wasn't paying much attention..."

Kagami turned to Miyuki. "Miyuki-san, please tell me you know what it is," she said desperately.

"Of course," Miyuki replied. "The Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress."

"Thank you," Kagami sighed, "At least some one gets it. A document that important shouldn't be tampered with. If anything, it should be brought to the Citadel for safekeeping; as a scribe, Tsukasa, you should at least agree with me on that."

"But Kagami," Konata said. "The United States of America have been gone for two hundred years, just like every other country. Who's going to care if we take it?"

"Besides," Patty added, "Abraham Washington will take good care of it. He loves American history. More importantly, he'll pay us good caps to bring it to him."

"Does that mean we can come with you?" Konata asked eagerly.

"Sure," Patty said, "I guess we can split the reward for finding it."

"Well, neither I nor Tsukasa will be taking any money for finding it." Kagami eyed her sister. "Right, Tsukasa?"

"R-Right, Sis," Tsukasa replied, though she sounded disappointed.

"Furthermore," Kagami continued, "I won't even be accompanying you. I'm going to the Museum of Technology to find what we came for. And I expect you to come with me, Miyuki-san. You're the one who agreed to retrieve the dish for Three Dog."

"Of course," Miyuki replied. "It is my responsibility, after all."

"I'm glad to hear you say that." Kagami turned to her sister. "Are you coming with us, Tsukasa?"

"Actually, I think I'll stay with Kona-chan," Tsukasa replied. "It seems like it'll be safer in here. Besides, I'm no good in a fight, so I'd just slow you down."

"If you say so." Kagami picked up an assault rifle from a fallen mutant. "Come on, Miyuki. Let's check these bodies for ammo, and maybe see if we can find new parts for your rifle. A lot of these mutants carried the same model as yours."

The two left after checking the bodies, leaving Konata, Tsukasa, and Patty in the rotunda.

"Alright," Konata turned to face Patty. "What's the plan?"

"There's a cargo elevator hidden in this rotunda," Patty replied. "It should take us close to the Archives' secure wing. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to unlock the elevator. I set up a terminal in here to try and crack the code, but I've had no luck. That's why I set up for a long stay in here, so I could keep trying." Patty shrugged. "But I'm starting to think its hopeless."

"Is there another way down?" Konata asked.

"Yeah. We could always walk down, but we'd have to go through a lot of sub-basements before reaching the hub, and they're infested with mutants. I was hoping to skip all that."

Konata held her chin. "Hm... Oh! I'll go catch up with Yuki-chan real quick. She's a computer whiz; she'll have it open in no time!"

Konata started toward the doors when the central tile of the floor suddenly lifted up into the air, revealing the elevator.

"Huh?" Konata and Patty turned back to see Tsukasa standing next to the terminal. "Tsukasa? How'd you do that?"

"I always forget the password for my terminal back home, so one of the older scribes taught me how to use the debug mode," Tsukasa replied cheerfully.

"Oh. That's good, I guess." Konata sounded upset. "When Miyuki does something smart, it just seems natural. But when Tsukasa does something smart, it makes me feel dumb."

"Kona-chan! I can use computers too, you know! It's part of my job!"

"Alright, alright," Patty said with a sweatdrop, "The elevator is open, so we can go find the Declaration now, right?"

"I guess," Konata and Tsukasa replied, both sounding annoyed. Patty sighed as they all piled onto the elevator.

* * *

Yay! Another step toward the destination that is the final chapter! I hope you guys liked seeing the whole team together in action. The fight scenes were really fun to write just because I got to use the whole team dynamic; that, and it looked really cool in my head. Especially the girls all back to back fighting ghouls in the metro. I can't wait to write some of the other big fights coming up.

I also got the chance to introduce another new character, the ever genki American girl Patricia Martin! Though by merit of being in Fallout, they're all American girls, but you know what I mean. To tell the truth, I actually was planning on revealing her later on, grouped with Hiyori, Yutaka, and Minami. The idea to include the Stealing Independence quest, and replacing Sydney with Patty, only recently occurred to me. As a result, I completely winged this chapter, which is to say I hadn't thought through the events in advance, which is how I do most other scenes. I think it came out strong, and I actually hit my 5000-6000 word count benchmark sooner than I thought.

Random behind the scenes fun fact! Miyuki's rant about the Declaration of Independence was shamelessly copy pasted from the Fallout Wiki's item description of the Declaration. He rant about bullet damage was completely made up by me and may or may not be true in either real physics or Fallout's "SCIENCE!" version of physics.

I always feel like I'm forgetting to say something when I finish these notes, but I guess that's it for now. I need sleep; working from 8pm to 5am the next day, and then staying up until 8am is tiring. I will say that the ride isn't over yet; Luckless Wasteland still has a long way to go, and a lot to live up to, what with the popularity of Tastychainsaws' story. I feel like I've got a lot to prove, and I intend not to disappoint. Here's hoping I see you all next time.


	10. Ancient History

"Here, Miyuki. I tightened the barrel and replaced the bolt mechanism. It should shoot much straighter now."

"Thank you," Miyuki replied as she took her rifle from Kagami.

"Don't mention it," Kagami said as they stepped out of the Archives' courtyard and back onto the Mall. "Now let's see if we can find that museum." Kagami examined a map printed on the back of a bus stop before a look of irritation crossed her face. "That's just typical," she muttered.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Miyuki asked.

"The Museum of Technology was just outside the metro we came from. We ran right past it on our way over here."

"Oh my. That's rather unfortunate."

"Oh well." Kagami said as they started back north across the Mall. "At least we cleared out most of the mutants. Without them, this place has a weird sense of peace. Can't say how long that'll last, though."

"Well, regardless of what happens, you proved to be a valiant warrior today. You should be proud of that."

"Thanks. I've always worked hard to protect the people I care about. I guess that comes from having such a big family. Almost everyone in the wastes has lost at least one family member. I'm extremely lucky that I haven't, and I fight hard to keep it that way." Kagami glanced over at Miyuki. "What about you? What other family do you have?"

"Just my mother, I'm afraid. I don't have any siblings, and my father died before I was born."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright. Sometimes I wonder what he was like, but I've never really felt any loss."

"Maybe it's best that way, just having one person to look out for. I always worry that I'll come home one day and find out that one of my family members has been killed, especially Tsukasa. They keep sending her out into the Wasteland when she can't really take care of herself. Thank you, by the way. I understand that you and Konata have saved her life more than once."

"There is no need to thank me. I always do everything in my power to keep others from harm."

Kagami smiled. "You're a real breath of fresh air, Miyuki-san. So many people in the world only look out for themselves. It's nice to meet someone so pure of heart."

Miyuki smiled back. "Thank you for saying so, Kagami-san. Ah, this must be the museum."

The two had reached the other side of the Mall, and were standing in front of a wide building. Banners hanging off the front identified it as the Museum of Technology.

* * *

"This looks like the central hub that connects the different sub-basements," Patty said as her, Konata, and Tsukasa stepped off the elevator. "They kept the Declaration in the strongroom at the end of the east wing here. We'll have to make our way to it."

"Is there anything for us to kill down here?" Konata asked a bit eagerly.

"It wouldn't surprise me to find old guard robots down here," Patty replied.

Konata frowned. "Aw, I don't like robots. You can't stab them."

"Men, today I address you with a message of utmost urgency." The girls looked up to see a loudspeaker mounted on the wall. "Our defenses have been breached, and soon we'll engage the enemy. Remember, the will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object. As your leader, Button Gwinnett, distinguished representative of Georgia, I promise you I have not yet begun to fight!"

Konata snickered. "'Button Gwinnett'? What kind of name is that?"

"Beats me," Patty replied as they started down a stairway, "But it looks like he's taken over the place. We may have to get past him to get the Declaration."

"Men!" another loudspeaker boomed as they entered another chamber. "We can't let the enemy's progress dissuade us from our task! We must defend our freedom and our right to be independent! Strike now and strike hard. You may delay, but time will not!"

A laser bolt suddenly flew at them, singeing Konata's ahoge as it passed.

"Look out!" Patty cried, pointing down the hallway to their left. "Protectrons!"

Two of the stocky robots lumbered toward them, firing lasers from their tiny arms. The girls took cover on either side of the hallway.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate robots?" Konata said as she fired her pistol.

"Don't worry," Patty said as she peppered one of the robots, "Protectrons are pretty weak, so this shouldn't take long."

Tsukasa leaned out to fire her laser pistol, but she stumbled back when a laser bolt slammed into her weapon.

"You alright?" Konata called back as she reloaded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tsukasa replied. "But my pistol is ruined. It won't fire."

"Well, just hang back and leave this to us," Patty said before sending a burst of 10mm rounds to the Protectron's sensor dome, shattering it. Before long, they downed the second robot as well.

"Sorry guys," Tsukasa said as they continued moving. "I can't do much to help now."

"It's fine. Not like we lost a lot of firepower anyway." Konata glanced at Patty. "Looks like you're the only one who can do any real damage to these guys."

"Right, I'll take point then," Patty replied. "I was planning on coming down here by myself anyway."

Patty led them around a corner and into a storage room. As they passed through, they heard a steady creaking sound before seeing another robot round the corner ahead of them. The robot moved on a tracked chassis, and two long, flexible arms extended out from its cylindrical body. But its most prominent feature was a human brain mounted under glass on its head.

"I'm afraid that I am quite good at killing things," it said in a jarringly pleasant female voice. "You may want to run now." Before anyone could react, it fired a volley of lasers from its tube-like arms. "Please believe me when I say I'm not enjoying this."

One beam grazed Konata's arm while another scorched Patty's armor. The girls ducked back behind some shelves for cover. "Is that a real human brain in that thing?" Tsukasa cried.

"Yep," Patty replied. "Back when I was a kid out west, we heard rumors that these Robobrains were made from the brains of people kidnapped off the streets."

"Well, that brain makes a really inviting target," Konata said. "I think I'll go put it out of its misery." The rogue sprung out from cover, rolling to avoid a pair of lasers.

"Hold still please," the Robobrain said, "It's harder to hit you if you keep running around like that."

"Sorry," Konata said as she sprung toward the Robobrain, "Nothing personal, but you're in our way."

"Tsk tsk. I really thought we could be friends."

As Konata drew back to strike, a ring of blue light shot out from the brain itself, slamming into her head. The rogue reeled back, her vision suddenly blurred and her head aching intensely.

"I'm a much better tactician than you," the robot said as it wrapped its arms around Konata. "It's all in the brain, you see." The Robobrain performed a spin before releasing Konata, throwing her back across the room. "So, which do you like better? The psionic beam or the laser?"

"I'm not too fond of either," Konata replied, staggering to her feet before taking two shots to the back.

Patty dashed out, firing her SMG as she grabbed Konata by the arm and dragged her back behind cover. "Are you alright?"

"No," Konata replied. "I can barely see and I'm all dizzy."

"What do we do now?" Tsukasa asked.

"You could run?" the Robobrain called out. "I'm trying to kill you, after all."

"For once I agree with the thing that's shooting at us," Konata said. "At least to regroup."

"Wait, don't run away," the Robobrain called out as they retreated back to the hallway. "I'm not really as scary as I look."

The girls ran into a side room lined with computer monitors. "Man, my head feels like it's going to pop," Konata said. "That brain blast really packs a punch."

"Looks like it up to me to stop that thing," Patty said. "But it'll be tough. Robobrains have decent armor. It'll take a while to kill it with my SMG, and who knows what damage it will cause in the meantime."

"Hey guys, look!" Tsukasa said, pointing to the floor. A rotting corpse was laying against the wall, with a distinctive weapon in its lap.

"Hey, that's a laser rifle!" Patty exclaimed as Tsukasa picked up the long, rectangular weapon. "That should have enough power to break the glass casing on that Robobrain. I can distract it and give you a clear shot."

"Sounds good," Konata said. "I think I'll let you two handle it then. My head is killing me."

"There's no point trying to hide from me, you know," the Robobrain said from out in the hallway. "I am programmed to be quite relentless."

"Ready?" Patty asked Tsukasa.

"I guess so," the scribe replied.

Patty charged out into the hall, her SMG blazing. She moved in closer, but a laser bolt to her leg brought her to her knees. The Robobrain advanced on her, taking several more 10mm rounds before reaching her. The robot shot its arms out, snapping its pincers shut around Patty's neck and wrist. The gunner found herself lifted into the air, struggling to breathe.

"I wish there was some other way we could have worked this out," the Robobrain said. It started to crush down with its claws, but was interrupted by a laser bolt slamming into the side of its head. The robot turned to see Tsukasa crouched by the side room, aiming down the long barrel of her laser rifle. She fired off a second shot, smashing through the robot's glass casing and frying its brain. Patty fell to the floor as the Robobrain's arms went limp.

"Nice shot," she said as she took deep breaths. "You really saved me!"

"Y-Yeah! I guess I did!" Tsukasa replied.

"Well, it looks like we found one of Tsukasa's tag skills," Konata said as she casually strolled out of the side room. "That must be why she never seemed good at anything. All her points must be in energy weapons!"

"That seems like a distinct possibility," Patty said.

Tsukasa gave them confused looks. "What exactly are you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing," Konata said. "Come on, my headache is starting to clear up. Let's go find that Declaration."

* * *

"You know, I'd really like to know what these mutants are doing here anyway," Kagami said as she reloaded her assault rifle. "What could they possibly want in here?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," Miyuki replied as she stepped around the two corpses.

"Well, it doesn't matter, I guess," Kagami said as she walked across the museum's atrium. "Let's just find that dish so we can leave." She activated the information terminal mounted to the wall. "Alright, it looks like the spaceflight exhibits are in the west wing. We can get there from the balcony."

The girls rounded the main desk and climbed the stairs up to the balcony. They soon found a section where the floor had collapsed, blocking their progress.

"How do we get across?" Miyuki asked, peering down the gap.

"Well, maybe we can go through this exhibit," Kagami suggested, pointing to a door on their left. "I think it might let out on the other side of the gap."

They entered the exhibit and were greeted by an automated voice coming through a speaker. "Vault-Tec welcomes you to our new line of subterranean vaults, featuring our patented Triple-S technology!"

"Well, would you look at that? It's a vault exhibit. I bet you'll feel right at home, Miyuki-san," Kagami said as they continued into a mock up cave. Orange warning lights flashed as they approached the characteristic cog shaped door. Pressure valves hissed as the door was pulled back and rolled aside. "This must feel strange for you," Kagami said as they entered the vault. "Like some kind of weird homecoming."

Another speaker started as they entered. "Sleep in quiet comfort knowing that our impenetrable vault doors can withstand a direct hit by an atomic bomb, with only a projected two percent failure rate!"

Miyuki looked around the mock entrance chamber. The chamber was an exceptional replica, with the exception of the rusted walls and garbage scattered along the floor. Miyuki glanced over at the side room where her and Amata had come through the secret tunnel. She thought back to when she had thrown the switch on the control panel, opening the Vault for what was likely the last time. She jumped when the door in front of them opened automatically, remembering how the last time that had happened, armed guards were on the other side. Only darkness was waiting for her this time, however.

"Are you okay?" Kagami asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's continue."

They stepped into the chamber and found themselves blinded as the lights suddenly buzzed to life. "Being underground got you down?" another speaker asked. "Smile! Our SimuSun lighting mimics the feeling of being out side, with only a fraction of the sunburn potential!" They descended a flight of stairs into a hallway. Around a corner were enclosed rooms visible through windows. Memories filled Miyuki's head as they passed exhibits of an apartment, a diner, and a classroom. They rounded another corner and ascended another staircase to find another speaker. "Concerns about security? Our Eye-On-You cameras enable the Vault's leader to watch your every move. You'll never be alone again!" Miyuki winced at the thought of the Overseer; this sidetrip was becoming very distressing.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kagami asked again.

"Yes," Miyuki replied "It's just... There are so many memories..."

"I understand. Come on, let's get out of here."

They hurried through the rest of the exhibit, ignoring the remaining speakers as they stepped out onto the atrium balcony once again. "Well, we're on the right track at least," Kagami said as they passed a sign pointing to the Virgo II exhibit. "Come on, let's get this over with." They passed through the doors to the west wing, coming out onto a balcony.

"I think I see it," Miyuki said, pointing ahead.

"Yeah," Kagami said as they reached the edge of the balcony, "But how do we reach it?" The Virgo II lunar landing capsule was visible, but it was blocked by a tall pile of rubble from the collapsed ceiling.

Miyuki looked around on their side of the rubble before spotting a door. "There, we can go through the planetarium."

"Good thinking, there's probably another entrance on the other side."

They descended the staircase and entered the planetarium, a large, round room resembling an amphitheater. A large projector in the center of the room started up as they approached, projecting the appearance of the night sky onto the domed ceiling. "For as long as history has been recorded, man has had an insatiable hunger for knowledge regarding the universe," A recording informed them.

"My, what a charming exhibit," Miyuki said. "The projections are very realistic."

"I guess," Kagami replied, "But I think that voice is a little loud."

"To understand why man is so interested in this unknown expanse of space around our little world, we must take a journey..." The recording was cut off by a pair of shots; Kagami winced as one .32 round slammed into her back.

"Dang mutants," she muttered as they took cover behind the projector. "They were attracted to the noise."

"They appear to be of the weakest variety," Miyuki said as a shot flew past them. "And there are only two of them."

"Alright," Kagami said, "You take the one on the right, I'll go left."

Kagami jumped from behind cover and fired controlled bursts with her assault rifle. Ignoring a round hitting her chest, she kept her rifle focus on the mutant's head until the rounds started punching through its thick skull. Miyuki fired off three shots to the other mutant's head, taking a grazing shot and a near miss before downing it.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Kagami said as she reloaded. "We're actually getting pretty good at this!"

"So it would seem," Miyuki replied.

A sudden crash brought their attention back to the planetarium's exit, where an armored brute had smashed through the locked door. It leveled a minigun at them and started spinning the barrels. Kagami and Miyuki sprinted away as bullets started flying, climbing up through the seats to take cover in the control booth.

"What now?" Miyuki asked.

"Well," Kagami replied as she unstrapped her own minigun from her back. "I was hoping to save this, but it looks like we've got no choice." She revved up the barrels. "I'll keep him distracted. Try to get a shot through to it's face." Miyuki nodded, though it would be difficult because of the brute's metal helmet.

Kagami charged out from the control booth, her minigun spewing lead down into the center of the room. The brute hurried to return fire, though it struggled to hit the moving target consistently. 5mm rounds flew in both directions as Kagami circled the top of the amphitheater, heading back toward Miyuki, who was crouched and taking aim. The vault dweller slowly tracked the mutant's face as it spun towards her, waiting until it was almost completely facing her. With Kagami – and the stream of fire – mere feet from her, Miyuki pulled the trigger, sending a .32 round through the bloodied mutant's eye.

"Nice shot," Kagami said as she lowered her weapon.

"Thank you. Are you badly hurt?" Miyuki could see blood creeping out from a fresh cut on the initiate's cheek, as well as several new dents in her armor.

"I'll be fine," Kagami insisted as they started walking down to the corpse. "I just hope we don't find any more of these guys."

They found three more box magazines on the body before leaving through the smashed exit. After going down a short hallway, they found themselves standing in front of the Virgo II exhibit. "It's about time," Kagami sighed as they approached the capsule.

"So this is the Virgo II Lunar Lander... 'Valiant 11', I believe it was named." Miyuki said. "Did you know that this same craft brought USSA Captains Richard Wade, Mark Garris, and Micheal Hagen to the surface of the moon on July 16, 1969? It was the first time man had ever set foot on a planetary body other than Earth."

"Wow, I knew we went into space, but I never knew we went to the moon."

"Oh yes. Before the war, the United States Space Administration launched several missions to the moon."

"Before the war..." Kagami repeated, sounding forlorn. "Sometimes I wonder how things would have been if we were all born back then... Oh well," She tugged the communications dish off the lander. It was almost as tall as she was, but it was very light. "No use worrying about that. Best to focus on the here and now. Lets take this thing to the Washington Monument."

* * *

"This must be the door to the Archives' strongroom," Patty said as the group reached another room.

"It's about time," Konata said as she put her hand on the hatch. "I am sick and tired of robots."

"The enemy is at the gates!" a loudspeaker mounted above the door bellowed. "Now is the time for the greatest of rallying cries! Wish not so much to live long as to live well!"

"It's time to find out just who this 'Button Gwinnett' is!" Konata spun the hatch and shoved open the door. Inside was a sight that none of them expected.

Pristine wooden shelves and desks sat inside the room, untouched by decay. Several framed letters were mounted on the walls, and rows of books were neatly stacked on the shelves. But strangest of all was a Protectron standing before them, painted blue and yellow and wearing a powdered wig.

The Protectron slowly lumbered towards them before speaking in a colonial accent. "You've breached our defenses, evaded our best soldiers, and you've raided my home. But I have not yet begun to fight! I cannot allow you to steal our freedom! The Declaration must remain here! It is our symbol of hope, the one thing that cries out 'We are a free nation'!"

"What are you talking about?" Patty exclaimed. "You're a robot!"

"I am not a 'robot'," the Protectron said sternly, "I am Button Gwinnett, second signer of the Declaration of Independence and distinguished representative from Georgia. I know your fighting prowess far exceeds my own, but I will still duel you to the death if I must. What will it be then? Rapiers? Pistols at dawn? Out with it!"

"Why would you do all that for a piece of paper?" Tsukasa asked.

"This is no mere piece of paper, madam. This is the doctrine laid down by my fellow members of the Second Continental Congress," Gwinnett replied "It absolves us of the tyranny of King George the Third of Great Britain. It is perhaps the greatest symbol of this free nation."

"Um," Tsukasa started, "You do realize that it's about five hundred years later, don't you?"

Gwinnett seemed to glare at her, despite not having any eyes. "Petty lies and deceit may be the way of Great Britain's crown, but I will not succumb to such tomfoolery. Since it appears you wish to resolve this without bloodshed, may I suggest you stand down and surrender? I can promise that you will be treated well; in a manner accustomed to any member of the Royal Army."

"We can't do that," Patty said. "There's more to this than you realize, Button."

"Please explain," Gwinnett replied. "But I warn you, I am well versed on the tactics of the underhanded Redcoat spy. You'd do well to remember that."

"Well," Patty stammered, "See, the thing is, uh..."

"It's really quite simple, you see."

Patty and Tsukasa turned around to see Konata, her hair impossibly tucked into her own powdered wig.

The otaku stepped forward. "I am Thomas Jefferson, and I have returned to liberate the Declaration of Independence!"

A moment of awkward silence passed before Gwinnett spoke. "Saints alive!" he said, moving his tiny arm into a salute. "It is both an honor and a privilege, sir. I was hoping this day would arrive. I hope these fortifications are up to your high standards, sir. All of my men await your command to push and retake the Capitol! May I ask where you intend to bring the document?"

Konata grinned. "I shall be presenting the Declaration to our new President, Abraham Washington."

"A new President? So the Stars and Stripes truly are forever. All hail the red, white and blue! Does... does this mean the War is over? Have we won?"

"Yes, Button. We have defeated the Redcoats and won the war!"

"It's over? Amen to that. Then I suppose my posting here at the fort is complete. I think you said it best when you said: 'We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate'. It has been both an honor and a privilege to serve in the army of the United States. What are your final orders?"

Konata reached out and put her hand on the robot's shoulder. "Stand down, and honorably relinquish your post. You've earned a rest."

"Coming from you, that means all the world to me. It's been an honor and a privilege to serve my country. It's time for me to take a long-needed rest. I think you'll find that the rest of my men are long-due for the same." Gwinnett handed Konata a small passkey. "I hereby relinquish command and control of this fortification to you. Good luck to you, Mr. Jefferson... and give Sally my regards." With that, Gwinnett turned rigid as he shut down.

Patty and Tsukasa stood silent, unsure of what had just happened. "Um, Kona-chan," Tsukasa finally asked, "Where did you get that wig?"

"What, this? I swiped it from his wardrobe while you guys were talking to him." Konata pulled off the wig, letting her bright blue hair fall back down to the floor. "He also had these." Konata handed Tsukasa some microfusion cells for her rifle.

"Oh, thanks," Tsukasa said as Konata sat behind Gwinnett's desk.

"I suppose I should have expected as much from you Kona-chan," Patty said. "But that was one of the most strangely amazing things I've ever seen. This whole thing is going to be one heck of a story to tell."

"Well, I try my best," Konata replied as she put on her shady hat; her ahoge curled out through a bullet hole on top. "Now, let's get that Declaration!" She inserted the passkey into the desktop terminal, allowing her to remotely unlock all doors in the archives. Behind her, a barricade opened up, revealing the safe containing the Declaration. Patty strolled over and retrieved it.

"Take a good look girls, this thing's gonna turn into a whole lot of caps once we get to Rivet City!"

"There might be even more, Patty-chan," Konata said as she stood up. "I saw some barricades like that one on our way in here. Let's go see if they've got anything good on our way out!"

* * *

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to carry that?" Miyuki asked as her and Kagami left the Museum of Technology.

"Nah," Kagami replied. "Its actually really light." She lifted the dish up with one arm to demonstrate.

"Let's just get it to the Washington Monument in one piece."

Miyuki nodded and turned west, left in relation to the museum. The Washington Monument towered over the Mall, some few hundred yards away. Massive chunks of masonry had been blasted off in several places, revealing the steel framework underneath, but the obelisk was miraculously still standing.

"Isn't it a little inspiring?" Miyuki said as they started climbing over a mound of rubble. "To think that such a marvel is still standing after so many years and so much conflict?"

"I know what you mean," Kagami replied. "Feels as if its saying that you can stand up against the evils so common in the world today. That we can use the tools of the past to build a new future."

"Very well said," Miyuki said with a smile. "You seem to have great aspirations, Kagami-san."

Kagami shrugged. "I guess so. All I really want is to have a safe world for the people I care about to live in. I guess that's a little too much to ask for, considering what's become of the world over the last two hundred years, but I always try to make things a little bit better whenever I can. Sometimes that means killing a super mutant. Other times it means rigging a dish to the Washington Monument. But no matter what, I never stop trying."

"How very noble. I admire your determination."

"What about you, Miyuki-san? Once you find your mother, what do you aspire to do? I imagine you'd like to just return to the Vault. The Wasteland must seem like a nightmare to you."

"Oh, well, I don't know about that. I didn't exactly choose to leave the Vault, and I'm not sure either me or my mother can go back."

Kagami tilted her head. "Oh? Why is that?"

"I'd rather not discuss it," Miyuki replied. "But to answer your question, I suppose my mother and I could settle down somewhere and perhaps run a clinic, like we did in the Vault."

"Oh, so you both have medical training? I wouldn't have guessed; given your marksmanship, I'd have thought you were trained to handle guns."

"Well, I wasn't exactly trained, but I did a lot of target shooting with my BB gun. That skill has proven very useful, but I prefer using my knowledge to help others. I don't think there are any laboratories out here, so a running a clinic seems like the most helpful thing to do."

"Actually, I heard that Rivet City has a really good lab. I even heard that the scientists there have actually managed to grow food that's free of radiation."

"Really? Perhaps I could join them in their research," Miyuki replied. "You know, Tsukasa-san suggested building a water purifier that could provide clean water for the entire Wasteland. Maybe I could help build something like that."

"Sounds like you've got some great aspirations too," Kagami said as they approached the Monument. "If you could pull that off, it would help more people than you can imagine."

"Hail, Initiate Hiiragi," a trooper guarding the Monument greeted. "What business do you have at the Washington Monument?"

"Hail, Paladin Berrings," Kagami replied. "I'm here to assist this wastelander, Miyuki Takara. She has agreed to repair the Galaxy News broadcast relay at the top of the Monument."

"Very well, initiate. I'll open the gate." Berrings turned to the computer mounted to the concrete wall encircling the Monument and punched in a command. The gate slowly winched open, allowing access to the entrance corridor. Miyuki and Kagami entered the spire and crossed the small interior to the elevator.

"What do you suppose Konata-san is doing right now?" Miyuki asked as the elevator began its ascension.

Kagami shrugged. "Depends on how well the Declaration is hidden. They may already have it and are making their way back out. I don't really care, honestly. It seems like a waste of time."

Miyuki watched the holes in the Monument's outer layer pass by through the broken window. "I think its nice that someone wants to preserve it. It's a very important part of the nation's history, just like this monument."

"I guess you're right. It just bugs me that Konata put off her previous responsibility for some caps. Sometimes I don't get the way she thinks."

"Trying to decipher Konata-san's thought process is nearly impossible," Miyuki said with a sweatdrop. "But she really is a good person. She is more than willing to put herself in harm's way to protect others."

"Oh, I know that. Don't get me wrong, I know Konata is a good person, and a good friend. It just seems like she needs to get her priorities straight; find a higher goal to work towards. But she only ever lives in the moment."

A quiet _ding _signaled the elevator's arrival at the top of the Monument. The girls stepped out into into a small room whose front wall had been almost completely blasted off. A large piece of radio equipment sat next to the gaping hole, connected by a series of cables to a large radio antenna hanging off the side of the Monument.

"This must be the broadcasting relay," Miyuki noted out loud."There appears to be a mount for the dish on that antenna."

"Well, here's the dish," Kagami said, handing it over. "Just be careful."

Miyuki nodded and climbed up on the ledge before leaning out to reach the antenna. Very cautiously, she attached the dish, trying her best not to look down. When the dish was secure, she climbed back inside and powered up the equipment. The relay buzzed to life, its speaker playing the end of a slow jazz tune. Before long, Three Dog's voice crackled in over the speaker.

"People of the Capital Wasteland, you can HEAR MEEEE! Yeeeaa haaaa! You can't stop the signal, baby! That's right, from Megaton to Girdershade, Paradise Falls to the Republic of Dave, we are coming to you loud and proud, in a special live report! But Three Dog! You're in that cool radio studio in D.C. How do YOU know I can hear you, all the way out here in the ass end of nowhere? Because of the kid from Vault 101, that's how! That gal actually managed to repair our antenna relay. How's that for ingenuity, folks? From here on in, it's bye-bye stupid static, hello magnificent music. So sit back, relax, and absorb these classic tunes. Kid, you get your ass back to GNR, you hear me? We've got some stuff to talk about!"

"Well, you heard him," Kagami said as she flicked off the speaker. "Let's go find the others and head back. We should be able to get back to the studio before dark. So, where should we start looking for them?" she asked as they stepped back into the elevator.

"I suppose we should check the Archives first," Miyuki replied. They left the Washington Monument and headed towards the row of buildings on the northern edge of the Mall, hoping to skirt the trenches on the way to the Archives. That proved unnecessary, however, as they soon found an energetic blond mercenary waving them over from a metro entrance.

"Hey guys!" Patty called as they approached. "Did you fix the radio dish?"

"Yes," Miyuki replied. "Did you find the Declaration of Independence?"

"Sure did! We also found these." Patty showed them a pair of documents.

"Oh! This is the Bill of Rights, and this is a copy of the Magna Carta!" Miyuki said excitedly. "How wonderful that they have been recovered as well."

"So, where are Tsukasa and Konata?" Kagami asked.

"They're both in the Museum of History here," Patty said as she pointed to the building behind her. "Konata went looking for more historical artifacts in the Museum offices. I guess the treasure hunting thing has gone to her head."

"That sounds like Konata," Kagami said with a sigh.

"Yeah. We're just waiting for her to get back."

"Hey, what's that?" Kagami asked, referring to a piece of rolled up paper in Patty's hand.

"This? Oh, it's nothing; nothing yet, that is. I picked it up in Underworld while I was waiting."

Miyuki tilted her head. "Underworld?"

"It's a town made up entirely of ghouls," Kagami said. "They set it up inside the Museum of History."

"Ah. I see."

"Yuki-chan!" The three looked back at the Museum to find Konata striding towards them with Tsukasa in tow. "Check out all the cool stuff we found!" the rogue exclaimed while gesturing back at Tsukasa. The scribe sweatdropped as everyone turned their attention to her; a variety of trinkets were cradled in her arms, and she was wearing a black top-hat.

"Do you have to use my sister as a pack brahmin?" Kagami asked exasperatedly.

"Oh!" Miyuki exclaimed as she looked over the items. "This is a Phonautograph, a very early recording device. It's labeled 'Lincoln's Voice'... Here's a Civil War draft poster, a wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's Diary... Is that Lincoln's hat?"

"Yep. All this stuff came from an exhibit about Abraham Lincoln," Konata replied. "I guess he was a pretty famous guy."

"Oh, he was much more than merely famous," Miyuki started, "Abraham Lincoln, born February 12, 1809, served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination on April 15, 1865. He successfully led the United States through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery. Before his election in 1860 as the first Republican president, Lincoln, reared in a family of modest means and mostly self-educated, had been a country lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, and a member of the United States House of Representatives, but failed in two attempts at a seat in the United States Senate. Lincoln was a dedicated, though often absent, husband, and father of four children. As an outspoken opponent of the expansion of slavery in the United States, Lincoln won the Republican nomination and was elected President in 1860. His tenure in office was largely dedicated to the defeat of the secessionist Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. He introduced measures that resulted in the abolition of slavery, issuing his Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and promoting the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Six days after the large-scale surrender of Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee, Lincoln became the first American president to be assassinated."

"Wow. It always surprises me just how much you know, Yuki-chan," Konata said.

"Is that a toy?" Kagami asked, herself now looking over the spoils.

"Oh, yeah! The plaque called it an 'Action Abe Action Figure'! Check it out!" Konata thrust the figure at Kagami's face and pressed a lever on its back, causing it to swing a sword up and down.

"Cute," Kagami deadpanned. "Please tell me you didn't endanger yourselves to get this stuff."

"No, not really," Konata replied. "It was mostly just feral ghouls down in the lower levels. Not really a problem, especially with Tsukasa's new laser rifle."

"Oh?" Kagami faced her sister. "You found a laser rifle?"

"Yeah," Tsukasa replied. "Down in the Archives."

"And she's getting real good with it," Konata added. "It looks like you have some competition for the spot of ranged specialist, Yuki-chan. Luckily, I have something to give you an edge!"

"We're not really competing, you know," Tsukasa said with a sweatdrop.

Konata ignored her. "Behold!" She reached into her ever-present bag and pulled out a brass plated, lever action rifle. "Lincoln's repeater! Just look at this thing! I'll bet it does way more damage than your hunting rifle. Trust me, I know a unique weapon when I see one."

"Konata, do you really think that thing is usable?" Kagami said. "For one thing, it's incredibly old; I wouldn't be surprised if it started falling apart when you tried to shoot it. Second, the ammunition it was designed to use probably doesn't exist anymore. Do you even know how to load it?"

"Actually, this looks like it's in great condition." Patty chimed in, examining the rifle.

"Well, it was sealed in a special case," Konata said, "So it shouldn't have any wear."

"Right. And as for ammo, this gun looks like it was originally chambered for .44 rimfire rounds, but it should shoot .44 magnums just fine. Of course, the extra kick from a magnum round will reduce the gun's lifespan, but you should be able to use hunting rifles for replacement parts, so it wouldn't be a problem."

"Great! Here, Patty-chan, I've got some magnum rounds here, show us how to load it." Konata handed the gun and a box of rounds to Patty.

"Okay, see this tube running down the bottom of the barrel? That's actually the magazine." Patty twisted the barrel, opening the breach in the tubular magazine. "See? Just load the rounds into here, twist it back, and you're good to go." She loaded fifteen rounds before closing the magazine. She held the rifle out to Miyuki. "You can try it out down in the metros; I'm sure we'll run into trouble on the way back to GNR."

"Very well," Miyuki said as she took the repeater. The weapon felt comfortable in her hands; the grips and the lever were similar to her old BB gun. "Thank you, Konata. I wish I were able to give you something in return."

"Don't worry about it," Konata said as Patty led them west. "Think of it as an apology for skipping out on the Museum of Technology. Besides, you were the only one still using a low level weapon, and we can't have that."

"Well, at least this little expedition is over with," Kagami said as they descended into the Georgetown metro station. "Let's hope Three Dog's information is good."

* * *

"Hey, all right! The Heroes of the Wasteland return!" Three Dog said as Miyuki and Konata entered his studio. "Hope the metro tunnels didn't give you too much trouble."

"More so on the way out then back in," Konata replied. "We picked up a friend and some more firepower out in the Mall."

"Cool, cool. Those who fight the Good Fight don't go unrewarded. And speaking of rewards, I bet you wanna hear about your mom."

"Oh yes, please," Miyuki replied. "Where did my mother go?"

"When your mom passed through here, she and I talked for a good long time. She's a real stand-up kinda gal. She mentioned some scientific mumbo-jumbo which didn't make sense to me and mentioned something called 'Project Purity'. She also said something about going to visit a Doctor Li in Rivet City. Then, she left in a hurry."

"That's perfect!" Konata said. "We had to go there to see Abraham Washington, and so I can finish Moira's assignment!"

"It would seem that all roads point to Rivet City then." Miyuki faced Three Dog. "Goodbye, Three Dog, and thank you."

"No problem, kid. Feel free to crash here at GNR for the night. I'm sure the Brotherhood has a few bunks to spare. And remember to keep us tuned in when you're out roaming the wastes."

"We will. Thanks again, Three Dog!" Konata called back as they walked back down to the lobby.

"Hey, Kona-chan!" Patty called from the ground floor. "Our room is down here!"

Konata and Miyuki walked down the stairs, passing the lone trooper assigned to the night watch before following Patty down the side hall.

"This is our where we'll be sleeping tonight," Patty said, gesturing to the door.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go in."

Konata reached for the doorknob, but Patty stopped her. "Wait, Kagami is changing out of her armor."

Konata's mouth curved into a playful grin. "Oh, is she?" The otaku pushed through the door and shut it behind her, leaving Miyuki and Patty sweatdropping in the hallway.

"Eh? What are you doing in here, Konata? Get out!"

"Wow! Looks like I have great timing!"

"What are you doing? Stop coming towards me!"

"Come on, Kagamin~. How can I resist when they've grown so much?"

"No! Don't touch me, you pervert!"

"Don't act like you don't like it, you tsundere, you!"

"Get off of me! I said stop! And don't call me that!"

"How can I stop when they're so nice and soft?"

Tsukasa slowly opened the door and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her. She was blushing profusely.

"What's going on in there?" Miyuki asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing..." Tsukasa replied. "Kona-chan's just being herself..."

Miyuki scrunched her eyebrows before realizing what was going on. "Oh my!"

"Good old Kona-chan," Patty snickered. She seemed thoroughly amused. "Looks like she's only gotten worse over the years."

The door suddenly flew open, revealing a red-faced Kagami holding up Konata by her shirt with one arm and covering her breasts with the other. The initiate's underarmor body suit was unzipped down to her waist and dangling off her body, leaving her completely topless.

"Wow, Kagami. Who knew you were so strong?"

"Shut up!" Kagami threw the rogue out into the hallway before slamming the door shut.

"You happy, Kona-chan?" Patty asked, struggling to hold back her laughter. "Now that you got to grope your best friend?"

"Yep. But that's not even the best part." Konata held up a white tank top and brown pants. "I snagged her grunt outfit!"

After several seconds, Kagami could be heard practically roaring from inside the room. "KONATA! GIVE ME BACK MY CLOTHES!"

"You have to come out and get them!" Konata called back.

"No! Bring them back now!"

"Either you come and get them right now, or I'll go hide them outside in the dark!"

"...Fine!" The door opened slowly, revealing Kagami wearing nothing but panties and covering her breasts with her chest plate. "Well? Hand them over!"

"Nope!" Konata leaned back against the wall. "You gotta come all the way out across the hall."

Kagami glared at the rogue, but she grudgingly complied.

"You know, you should dress like that all the time," Konata teased.

"Just shut up," Kagami snapped as she reached out for her clothes.

"Hey, is everything okay down here? I heard yelling."

The girls turned to see the Brotherhood watchman down the hall, poking his head around the corner.

"Wait, Initiate Hiiragi? What are you...? Nevermind, I'll leave you girls alone." The trooper hastily retreated back to the lobby.

A moment of stunned silence passed before Kagami snatched her clothes back and dashed back into the room, slamming the door behind her. The silence was suddenly shattered by a scream so loud, the girls thought the whole building was going to collapse around them.

* * *

Hehe, thought I'd end this one with a lol. I'm pretty happy with that last scene, and I'm really hoping you guys like it.

Sorry this took so long, but I couldn't make up my mind on how to end it. At first I was going to end it with them fixing the dish and then just switching scenes so they were back at Galaxy News. But then I remembered that I wanted Miyuki to end up with Lincoln's Repeater (aka one of the best small guns in the game), so I had to get them over to the Museum of History. Since the character Patty replaced has ties in Underworld, I figured I would have her show the other girls around while Konata was doing Lincoln's Profit Margins. This would've led to Miyuki meeting Reilly and getting involved in her quest. I got up to the conversation with Reilly when I stopped and thought: "You know, I never really liked the Reilly's Rangers quest and I don't really like Underworld either. And if I keep going with this, it'll end up eating away another two chapters, delaying the main quest longer than I have already, without really contributing anything story-wise." So I scrapped the whole thing. I put in the part you see now where they just stand in front of the museum, then I was just gonna have them head back to GNR. I figured that was kinda boring, but I was just gonna post it cause I couldn't think of anything. Then that last scene hit me at the last second, and I just had to use it. So that's my excuse for the post delay.

If you've left a review since I posted chapter 9, then you already know this, but I just want everyone to know that I finally figured out how to use the review reply button! (lol) So now, anyone who leaves a review will get a personal response back, unless of course you leave an anonymous review like Mr. Conor did. However, while I can't send him a reply, he brought up a couple points I had been meaning to address, but kept forgetting to.

Point number one: Miyuki as the (not so lone) Lone Wanderer. When I was planning this fic, one of the first things I decided on was scattering the girls around the Wasteland, so I could introduce them one at a time. This left the dilemma of who to cast as the Lone Wanderer. I knew it had to be one of the main girls, but which one? Konata seems like the obvious choice, what with her mom being dead and all. But that's about the only similarity she has with the Lone Wanderer's character. Sure, you determine the Wanderer's character through your actions, but whether he (or she) is a saint or an asshole, he always starts out the same: weak and naïve to the workings of the world. Konata, I decided, can be neither of these things. She needed to play a headstrong, confident, streetsmart character, and I'm sure you'll agree that these traits suit her. Then there's Kagami and Tsukasa; not prime candidates. Sure, Tsukasa is naïve, and Kagami could probably pull it off, but both of them have a big flaw: they're even less lone than Miyuki is. In addition to each other, they've got a mom, a dad, and two sisters. Locking four characters into the Vault the whole story while two others shared a title seemed like a waste of resources. The Brotherhood of Steel seemed like the only place I could keep them all together while keeping their distinct characteristics intact. And so, that leaves Miyuki. Kind of felt like I was being forced to pick the last, worst kid for my dodgeball team, but the more I thought about it, the more she seemed to fit the role. She's smart but not streetsmart, she's got no siblings (the manga mentioned a brother early on, but I'm pretty sure he was retconned out), a single parent (that we see, anyway), she starts out weak, and her personality fits the Karmic good Wanderer's. Ding ding ding, we have a winner!

Point number two: Things aren't Japanese enough. Truth be told, I briefly considered setting it in Japan, as I've always been fascinated by how the Great War would've affected other countries. Problem is, I'm not Japanese. I have no real idea what Japan is really like beyond otaku stuff, and I can't even imagine how things were in the 50s. Plus I have no real knowledge of Japanese geography, cities, or anything like that, so I couldn't describe locations very well. Besides that, the game's plot and characters simply cannot be "translated" into Japanese; the Fallout games are distinctly American. And if I did inexplicably swap over the Capitol Wasteland (Imperial Wasteland?) and the plot over into Japan, it would make so little sense that no one would read it. Therefore, I decided to just keep it in the good old US of A, if only because I'm familiar with it. This leads to the point I made before about keeping the Fallout world "in character". This is why the girls don't use fangirl (or fanboy, in my case) Japanese; you can't even pretend that it makes sense to have born and raised American girls (which they are in this fic, even if they're anime characters) using Japanese words, phrases, and pronunciation. This is why I prefer, for example, "sis" over "onee-chan". The sole exceptions to this are, as you've no doubt noticed, honorific suffixes. These are an important part of how the characters interact with each other, and only each other (note how Miyuki will use the terms "Konata-san" and "Mr. Burke" in the same paragraph). There is no explanation for why the Lucky Star girls are the only ones to use, or even notice, Japanese honorifics; you have to use your willing suspension of disbelief for that one. I don't know, maybe they actually calling each other Miss Konata, Akira the Great, and... uh... Yuki-poo?... and your just reading those terms as -san, -sama, and -chan. What is reality anyway?

Well, these notes are kind of a wall of text, but hey, maybe some of you are interested in my creative process. So yeah, finishing side quests, meeting new faces (including a bonus guest appearance!), and advancing the main quest, all coming up in chapter 11! Look forward to it!


	11. Riverside

Greetings, Capitol Wasteland, from the great Three Dog! How's everyone doing out there, on this fine Tuesday morning of August 21, 2277? Hopefully things aren't looking too bad.

As you oh-so-astute listeners have no doubt noticed, Galaxy News Radio is once again broadcasting loud and proud across the entire Capitol Wasteland, and I've got an update for all you cats that have been kept in the dark for all this time. Our story begins five days ago, on Friday the 17th, with, get this, the opening of Vault 101. You know, that bomb shelter out by Megaton that's been locked tight for the past two hundred years? Yep, someone finally popped that sucker open, a scientist by the name of Yukari. Ms. Yukari came down to chat with old Three Dog shortly after, and then went on her way.

Boring story, right? Wrong! I'm just getting started. See, later that day, another Vault Dweller came crawling out, and it turns out she was looking for her mom, who is none other than, you guessed it, Yukari. So on her quest to find dear old Mom, Miss 101 joined up with a feisty Rogue from Megaton to disarm the nasty nuke sitting smack dab in the middle of town, an exploit that I've heard involved a scuffle at Tenpenny Tower. The duo then headed down to the D.C. Ruins, where they enlisted the help of a Brotherhood of Steel Scribe and Initiate to take down a super mutant behemoth laying siege on poor old Three Dog's studio. Afterwards, 101 came to chat with yours truly before agreeing to fix the Galaxy News broadcast relay atop the Washington Monument. It was a perilous journey, but with the help of a friendly Merc, the girls managed to fix the relay, enabling you all to listen to this broadcast.

Now the gang is off to find Yukari, who I've since learned is working on some big science project. Is that why she left the Vault? Looks that way... So who knows, maybe Yukari is going to save the world, and I can't think of a better cause than that. But Yukari, if you're listening, your kid's out there, and she misses you. So you might want to find her before she gets swallowed up and spit out. And for all you other cats out there listening, if you see these do-gooding girls out there, be sure to give them a big thank you, cause they've been dishing out all kinds of justice to raiders and super mutants on their way from point A to point B.

That's all for now kids, but stay tuned. Adventure seems to follow these girls wherever they go, and I'm expecting a whole lot more news to come through my door over the next few weeks. You won't wanna miss it.

* * *

"I still can't believe you made me stay out in the hall for three hours, Kagami," Konata said as the group emerged from the Farragut West metro station.

"You deserved it," Kagami snapped back. "I had to walk right past Knight Finley on my way back to the garrison!"

"Hey, I wasn't expecting him to show up like that." Konata grinned. "Besides, I'm sure he enjoyed getting to see your feminine side for once."

"This isn't funny! What if word gets around? What will people think when they hear about it?"

"Those two really like going at it, don't they?" Patty commented to Tsukasa as they trailed behind.

"Yep. All the time."

"They must have a strong bond to remain friends even though they argue so much." Miyuki noted.

"Well, Kona-chan and Sis have been really close ever since what happened at Hamilton's Hideaway."

"Really? What happened?" Miyuki asked.

"Well, almost ten years ago, Konata dared us to go with her to a place called Hamilton's Hideaway. It's a network of caves northwest of Megaton. Sis and Kona-chan kept arguing all the way there about whether it was a good idea or not. When we finally got there, Kona-chan ran down into the caves, and Sis went after her. I was too scared to go farther than the entrance. When they finally came back, they were both hurt and helping each other walk. They were still arguing through it all, but there was something different about the way they argued. It was like they were getting closer somehow."

Miyuki looked ahead at the two girls; Konata playfully shoved Kagami as if to push her into the river, with Kagami retaliating verbally. "I wonder what happened between them..."

"They never told me what happened down there," Tsukasa said, "But they've been best friends in their weird way ever since."

"Goes to show how tough they both are," Patricia noted. "Even as nine year olds, they were able to beat whatever was down there. Now look at them. I definitely wouldn't want to be one of their enemies."

"So Kagami," Konata started to tease, "You still haven't told us why you walk around without a bra."

"Geez! Do you have to bring that up again?"

"Come on, tell us! You definitely don't have my excuse."

Kagami huffed. "Well, if you must know, it's because my breasts get squished enough in this armor without the extra padding."

Konata stared at Kagami for a moment. "Kagami! That was so tsundere!"

"Stop using that word!" Kagami snapped before noticing something behind Konata. "Hey, look out!"

She shoved the rogue to the side as a trio of prehensile tongues lashed out, wrapping around her arm. A hideous creature lunged forward after its tongues, grasping at Kagami with its six disfigured arms.

"What the heck is that thing?" Konata exclaimed, drawing her sword as Kagami wrestled with the creature.

"It's a centaur," Kagami shouted as she struggled to dislodge it. "A dangerous mutant!"

The centaur unwrapped its tongues from the initiate's arm, rearing them back to lash at her face before Konata plunged her sword though its skull.

"That's disgusting!" Tsukasa cried when she got a good look at the corpse. The centaur's arms were positioned like an insect's legs on a fleshy lower torso, while its upper torso looked disturbingly human, excepting the tentacle-like tongues and the bony spines sticking out from its back and shoulder stumps.

"Watch out," Kagami said as she drew her assault rifle. "Where there's a centaur, there's going to be a super mutant. They use the centaurs like guard dogs."

An angry roar suddenly erupted from behind a nearby truck, followed by a super mutant lunging out with a sledgehammer. Konata took a blow to her back before being grabbed and lifted off the ground.

"Hey, Kagami," she said as she struggled to reach her knife, "I found your super mutant."

A sharp tone rung out from Miyuki's repeater as she fired; the powerful weapon blasted right through the mutant's head.

"Thanks, Yuki-chan," Konata said as she got to her feet. "You've really taken to that thing, huh?"

"Come on, let's keep moving," Kagami prompted. "I want to avoid any more mutants if possible."

"Wait," Tsukasa said as the others started to move, "Do you hear that?"

The girls stopped to listen before hearing someone sobbing faintly.

"It's coming from down there!" Patricia said, pointing ahead at a pair of trucks wedged together alongside a building.

The girls moved to investigate, being wary of more mutants. They found a tent set up behind the trucks; inside was a woman locked inside two shopping carts pushed together.

"Please, you have to help me!" she begged upon seeing them enter.

"Don't worry," Konata replied as she reached for her screwdriver, "We'll get you out of there."

"Make it quick," Kagami said, keeping her rifle on the door. After several seconds, Konata had opened the lock on the cart cage.

"Thank you," the woman said as she climbed out. "Now I need to get out of here!"

"Whoa, slow down," Patricia said. "Do you even know where you're going?"

"Yes, there's a place I can go nearby," The woman replied. "But I can't stay here!" With that, the woman ran past them and back down along the river.

"I hope she knows what she's doing," Kagami said as the girls continued onto the street lining the river.

* * *

"Hey, Boss, look at that." The caravan guard pointed down over the side of the tall bridge. "Looks like someone's getting into a scuffle with some raiders."

The caravan's leader approached the guard and looked out at the scene. "It appears you are right. And they are winning; they must be skilled warriors." The leader watched as the group of wastelanders overpowered the small raider camp, quickly wiping them out. "Very skilled indeed... Wait, it can't be!"

The guard gave the leader a confused look. "What is it, Boss?"

The leader spun away from the railing, marching back to the caravan as he spoke. "Quickly comrade, we must turn the caravan around. We must face that girl, before she slips past us."

"What girl? Are we going to attack her?"

"No, but a great battle will surely take place. Not a battle of combat skills, but a battle of barter, and speech, and charisma. Prepare our rarest goods, and ensure for us victory this day."

"I don't think I understand, Boss... Wait a minute..." The guard's eyes widened with realization. "Boss, is that girl...?"

"Yes. She is."

"I'll get the others ready!" The guard ran back towards the rest of the caravan.

The leader glanced back out over the railing. By now the raiders were dead, and the girls going through the camp. The leader grinned as he spotted the girl holding a box of ammo in the air triumphantly; her bright blue hair made her stand out. _Today will be the day, I can feel it. Let it be known that on this day, I will sell something to you, Legendary Girl A!

* * *

_"Not a bad haul," Konata said as the group passed under a large bridge. "A nice amount of ammo, food, and medicine, though I still don't know why that junk makes you so happy, Patty-chan."

Patty was carrying a crutch and a pressure cooker looted from the camp. "Well, you know what they say about one man's trash, Kona-chan," she replied cheerfully.

Kagami looked across the river. "There's the Citadel," she commented. "That means the Jefferson Memorial is just down the river, and past that is Rivet City."

"So we are getting close," Miyuki said.

"Sure are," Konata jumped in, "We'll find your mom in no time!"

As the girls kept walking, a group of colorful guards emerged from an alleyway onto the walkway, blocking their path.

"What's going on here?" Kagami asked impatiently.

"A business transaction."

The girls looked up to their left, seeing a man perched atop a single concrete pillar in a dilapidated building. Konata grinned as she recognized his spiked black hair and flowing duster. "So, we meet again."

"Indeed," the man replied, his visor tilted down to cover his eyes. He suddenly sprung forward from his perch, flipping and spinning through the air before landing before the girls, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Okay, just who are you?" Kagami demanded.

"Who am I?" The man cast a sideways glance at her before performing a series of exaggerated gestures and fighting moves as he spoke. "I am Meito Anizawa, leader of the Animate Caravan! Like our namesake, we work as a provider of niche goods, hunting down the rarest of collectible items and selling them to only the most discerning customers!"

Kagami sweatdropped, taken aback."Well, what do you want with us?"

"I want nothing to do with the rest of you," Meito replied, gesturing at her, Tsukasa, Miyuki, and Patricia. "You are all unimportant."

"Nice to meet you too," Kagami deadpanned.

"The only one I am interested in," Meito vigorously pointed at Konata. "Is Legendary Girl A!"

Konata grinned. "Well then, show me what you've got!"

* * *

"Thanks for helping to put the hurt on those muties," Three Dog said to Sentinel Lyons. "You guys do a lot of good for the Capitol Wasteland. Don't you ever forget it."

"Thanks, Three Dog," Lyons replied. "It's been nice taking a day to rest, but now that the replacement troops have arrived, the Pride has to head back to the Citadel for our next assignment."

"No worries, it's cool. You've got places to be, bastards to kill. Tell Owyn I said hi."

"I will. Thanks for the bunks."

"Thanks for the guns. You take care, Sarah."

Three Dog went up to his studio after Lyons left. He checked over the audio equipment and double checked the next day's playlist, making sure the computer that randomized his twenty songs didn't set the same track too close to itself on the list. After finding the playlist to be satisfactory, Three Dog sat down at his desk and picked up his microphone to prerecord for the next day. "Let's see... Hey there, boys and girls! What are you all up to? I'll tell you what: you're listening to the news! Yeah, that's good..."

Three Dog spent an hour recording before he heard the door to the studio slam. "Oh come on!" he exclaimed as he flicked off the equipment and stood up. "You ruined my take! Can't you at least knock?"

The intruder didn't respond, but instead spoke to someone else. "Watch the door, Minoru. You yell if these grunts try to come in here."

Three Dog raised an eyebrow as a small girl came walking up the stairs into his sight.

"Hi there!" Akira greeted as she approached him. "You must be Three Dog!"

"The one and only," Three Dog replied as he looked her over. Something was off about this girl. She was wearing some type of uniform that was faded, tattered, singed, and splattered with spots of dried blood. That was nothing too out of the ordinary for a wastelander, though. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to find a girl named Miyuki Takara. She's got pink hair, glasses, a really big chest... Have you seen her?"

Something was suspicious about this girl's bright eyed smile. "Can't say that I have."

"Are you sure?" Akira pressed. "This will be oh-so-much easier if you just tell me where she is."

Three Dog stared at her uniform for another moment before finally recognizing it. "Wait a minute... that's an Enclave uniform! I thought there was something fishy about you; you're one of Eden's!"

Akira tilted her head. "You know who the Enclave are? That's funny; most of your kind don't have a clue what we look like." The officer smiled sweetly. "But that doesn't matter. All that matters is you telling me where the girl went. If you don't, then I'm afraid you're going to become very uncomfortable, to say the least."

"No deal. I don't care what the Man wants her for, but he's not getting his hands on 101. Besides, what's a kid like you gonna do to me? Better go back to your commander before I call down some Brotherhood justice on your ass."

Akira's mouth twisted into a vicious grin. "You can try." The officer's fist suddenly shot forward out of her sleeve before slamming into Three Dog's stomach.

Three Dog reeled back, feeling as though a brick had been catapulted into his gut. "Help!" he cried out before Akira lunged forward and grabbed his throat. The officer hefted Three Dog into the air and threw him across the room, slamming him into some radio equipment.

"Akira-sama!" Minoru cried as he ran up the stairs. "The troopers are coming!"

Akira cast a wicked glance at Three Dog. "Time for me to show you just who you're dealing with."

* * *

"I... I can't believe it... I threw everything I had at you... And yet you've rejected everything in my stock!"

Konata grinned. "I'll admit, some of it was tempting, but you're gonna need something really good if you want me to buy."

Meito lowered his head. "Very well. I don't normally show this to anyone, but this is a last resort!" He reached into his duster and pulled a rolled up piece of paper from his pocket.

Konata looked suspicious. "Now what could be on that paper that's so special?"

Meito chuckled to himself. "I think you can guess. It's an item I've been saving just for you; your one true weakness."

Konata thought for a moment before realizing. "C-Could it be?"

Meito grinned. "Indeed." He swiftly unrolled the paper and held it out for her to see. "The famed Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya bunny-girl poster!"

Konata's jaw dropped as she gazed at the poster. "They're all there..." she mumbled, nearly starting to drool. "Haruhi, Nagato, Tsuruya, even Kimidori! How much?"

Meito grinned. "One thousand caps."

"Done!"

Kagami's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! One thousand caps for that? Konata, shouldn't you at least think about this?"

"Silence!" Konata snapped as she held her hand up to Kagami's face. "No thinking is necessary! I can hardly call myself an otaku if I pass up a collectible like this! ...By the way, can I borrow four hundred caps from you guys? I'll pay you back when Abraham Washington pays us in Rivet City."

"I still have the two hundred caps you gave me in Megaton," Miyuki replied.

"I've got a hundred you can borrow," Patty added.

"I've only got twenty three..." Tsukasa said with a sweatdrop.

Konata looked at Kagami with big, pleading eyes. "Well, Kagamin? Do you have seventy seven caps?"

Kagami crossed her arms. "Yes, but I won't lend them to you. I think it's ridiculous to pay so much for a scrap of paper."

"Please, Kagamin! This poster is a very important historical relic; a beautiful piece of art that may well be worth more than the Declaration of Independence!"

"It's true!" Patricia cut in. "Abraham Washington is only paying us four hundred caps for the Declaration."

"See Kagami? Please please please please please please please please..."

"Alright!" Kagami snapped. "Take the stupid caps!"

"Yay! Thank you so much, Kagami!" Konata counted out the caps before offering them to Meito. "Here you go. One thousand caps."

"Excellent, excellent!" Meito exclaimed as he held out the poster. "Finally, I have won! I've finally sold something to Legendary Girl A!"

The two reached out to make the exchange, their hands within inches of each other's. At the very instant Konata's fingertips touched the poster, a laser bolt blazed through it. Konata and Meito, their facial expressions fixed from shock, watched in seemingly slow motion as the sacred paper turned to ash, inch by inch.

The sounds of battle suddenly erupted around them as Konata's friends and Meito's guards engaged the assailants, but the two collectors stood transfixed, staring in disbelief at the pile of ash between them. As reality slowly sunk in, a burning rage gradually built inside them. Their eyes met, and in a single brief moment, the two agreed that nothing in the world mattered until the one responsible for this atrocity was dead. Ignoring the shouts of their friends and the many shots streaking towards them, Konata and Meito faced the attackers: a group of mercenaries wearing black combat armor taking cover in the nearby dilapidated building. The two sprung forward into the stream of fire, their weapons ready in an instant.

Konata drove her sword straight into the seam of one merc's armor, pushing him back until she had stabbed through his comrade behind him as well. A spinning slash sliced through the throat of a melee fighter behind her as she hurled her knife into the forehead of a pistoleer across the room. Konata drew her pistol and dropped two more mercs before retrieving her knife and stabbing a final gunner.

Meito moved inhumanly fast towards the closest merc, seeming to glide across the ground before driving his spiked knuckles into his jaw. A grenade landed at his feet, and the merchant took to the skies in a soaring leap, bringing the pneumatic piston of his power fist down to crush the grenadier's skull. He dropped to avoid a burst of fire before lunging and throwing a spinning back kick to another merc's face.

The two brawlers quickly turned at the sound of a laser pistol, spotting the offending mercenary on the second story. They nodded to each other before springing into action. Konata dashed right, vaulting over some rubble onto a staircase and leaping across a gap to reach the target. Meito made his way up from the left by sprinting up the incline of a ruined wall and swinging off some rebar into a soaring flip. The merc began to panic as the fighters came at him from both sides. In a single instant, Konata's blades were stabbed precisely into his ribs and neck while Meito's power fist caved in the side of his head with a powerful blow. The two let out a furious war cry as the corpse crumpled to the ground, their friends staring in awe.

"I guess that's it," Konata said after a few moments had passed.

"It would seem so," Meito replied, passionate tears gathering in his eyes. "It is a great shame, to think that we lost such a great relic."

"We got greedy," Konata said, wiping her own eyes. "We hoped to gain so much that we let our guard down. Rest in peace, Haruhi-chan."

"Are you two quite done?" Kagami called as they dropped down to ground level.

"Kagami, show some respect!" Konata said. "The world has lost one of its last great marvels."

"You'll forgive my lack of compassion," Kagami replied, her arms crossed. "I'm more concerned about you two. Look at yourselves! Just how many shots did you take?"

"It matters not," Meito muttered before exploding into fiery passion. "The pain and bloodshed are something we must endure! As punishment for our failure!"

"Yes!" Konata joined in, "We will carry these scars always! To remind us never again put such a treasure in danger!"

"Such passion," Patricia remarked, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Yeah," Kagami sighed, "If only they could put it towards something useful."

"Hey, Kona-chan," Tsukasa spoke up suddenly, "What's that on your sword?"

Konata snapped back from her mourning and found a scrap of paper impaled on her sword.

"'Boys and girls," she started reading the note out loud. "'We've got ourselves another holier-than-thou white-knight who needs putting down. Here are the details: Name: Miyuki Takara. Race: Japanese. Sex: Female. The bounty is a thousand caps this time around, plus an extra five hundred for that Izumi kid following her around. And for a change of pace, they want the head this time. Good hunting!'"

Konata scowled. "Hey! I'm worth way more than five hundred caps!"

Kagami frowned. "These hitmen must be from Talon Company. This is pretty much how they operate."

"But why would they be after me?" Miyuki asked, sounding concerned.

"Probably because you disarmed Megaton's bomb and took down Tenpenny," Konata said. "Talon Company tends to take jobs from the bad guys. What I really want to know is why they'd shoot at a poor, defenseless poster..."

"Speaking of which, since that nonsense is done with, can we please head to Rivet City now?" Kagami said impatiently.

"Yeah, let's go," Particia added as she started down the path. "I'm itching to get my reward."

"Fine," Konata muttered as she trudged along, followed by Miyuki.

"Hey, hold on a minute!" Tsukasa said. "I wanted to buy that frog keychain that Anizawa-san had earlier."

"Forget it, Tsukasa," Kagami said as she nudged her sister along. "You're better off not dealing with these people, and I don't think he's in any mood to do business anyway."

Meito solemnly watched as the girls continued on.

"Hey, Boss? You okay?" a caravan guard asked.

"I was so close," Meito replied. "I was certain that I would finally sell something to Legendary Girl A. I had been saving that poster just for her; now she will never buy from me."

"Don't say that, Boss! I'm sure you'll find something just as good to sell to her, better even! And we'll help you every step of the way!"

"Yeah!" a female guard spoke up. "We've got your back all the way, Boss!"

"Thank you, comrades," Meito replied. "You're right. Together, we will surely accomplish our goal!" He thrust his fist into the air. "Together, we shall hunt down a truly magnificent item worthy of Legendary Girl A!"

* * *

"So this is the mighty Brotherhood of Steel I've heard so much about?" Akira laughed as she wove through a volley of lasers. "I've seen recruits tougher than you 'knights' and 'paladins'!" The officer sent a burst of plasma bolts at the nearest trooper, burning through his armor. "And this armor's a joke! Too easy!" Akira used her small size to dodge the troopers' fire, striking at weak points with her pistol and Ripper. Before long, she had completely destroyed the attacking troops and sent several more into retreat.

Minoru crawled out from behind cover as the last trooper fell; Akira's gaze fell to him, much to his discomfort. "Thanks for the help," she said sarcastically. "Couldn't have done it without you."

"Sorry," Minoru replied. "It just seems like I should stand back and not get in your way."

"Smart thinking," Akira admitted. "But you should at least get some target practice, even if it's on the guys I'm killing."

Minoru's attention was suddenly drawn to the sound of hurried footsteps. "Akira-sama, he's trying to get away!"

Akira glanced over to see Three Dog running towards the stairs. She rolled her eyes before casually firing off her plasma pistol at him. The bolt burned through his leg as he reached the stairs, sending him tumbling down. Akira strolled down after him and hauled him up off the ground by his shirt.

"Look pal, you're starting to piss me off. Just tell me where Miyuki is before I have to get my hands even bloodier."

"I ain't telling you shit," Three Dog spat. "Do your worst."

Akira bared her teeth in a wicked grin. "Hey, Minoru," she called, "Get some stimpaks ready. Our friend here is gonna need 'em."

* * *

"I'm kinda surprised at you Kona-chan," Patricia commented as the group walked along the river. "That guy actually had some nice stuff besides the poster. Why didn't you buy any?"

"Well, it's not that I didn't want to," Konata replied. "It's just that I can't go filling my inventory with miscellaneous items unless they're really good. I need to save room for good weapons and armor to either sell or use. Not only that, but it's really funny how worked up that guy gets when I don't buy anything." She sighed. "I really wanted that poster though. There's probably no more like it."

"Good riddance," Kagami said, "That would've been a waste of all our caps."

"Hey, look at that!" Tsukasa suddenly spoke up, pointing to a building sitting out in the Tidal Basin.

"Oh, that's the Jefferson Memorial," Miyuki replied. "Except... What's all that built around it?"

Several large catwalks and pipes sticking out into the Basin were grafted onto the Memorial, and the rotunda itself was completely walled in.

"Looks like some kind of science project," Kagami remarked. "Rivet City is pretty close now, so maybe the scientists set it up."

"Hey guys," Konata started, pulling their attention to the path ahead. "Look at this."

Ahead of them was a massive super mutant camp. Sharpened steel girders had been driven into the ground and strung together with rusty barbed wire and metal sheeting to form a wall around the perimeter, and dangling from dead trees and metal spikes were several human corpses, skeletons and bags filled with gore.

Tsukasa moved closer to her sister. "H-How do we get past that?" she asked nervously.

"We don't," Konata replied grimly. "Look at how many mutants there are, plus they're up on a hill; we'd be spotted in no time if we take the road."

"So what then?" Patricia asked. "I know we're good at killing them, but that's a lot of mutants to fight all at once."

"There appears to be less than we faced in the National Archives," Miyuki commented.

"We had a fortified position," Kagami pointed out. "This time they have the high ground. The main entrance is down the hill there, and it funnels any attackers into a bottleneck. This place was built to take an assault."

"So we fight smart," Konata said. "Miyuki and Tsukasa stay back by the entrance and pick off the weaker ones, while Kagami and Patty go up the middle as a distraction."

"It sounds like we get the short end of the stick," Kagami said, arms crossed.

"I never said you guys were gonna do any real fighting," Konata replied. "You just need to draw their fire and then get behind cover. If they start shooting at someone else, then take a few shots to get their attention. Just keep them focused on you."

"What about you, Konata-san?" Miyuki asked.

"I'm gonna do what I do best," Konata replied with a grin. "I'm gonna worm my way through the wall and get behind them. Since they'll be focused on Kagami and Patty, I should be able to stab a bunch of them in the back before they even realize. That's why it's so important for you two to keep them distracted."

"Well," Patricia said, "This looks like our best shot. I say we take it."

* * *

"I'm really starting to question whether this was a good idea or not," Kagami groaned as more of their cover was chipped away. The only cover her and Patricia had been able to find was a single slab of concrete sitting right in the line of fire of all the mutants.

"At least we have their full attention," Patrica said with a sweatdrop. Another chunk of concrete broke off in the crossfire.

"We can't keep it for much longer though. Where the heck is Konata?"

"She's probably trying to get where she can kill a bunch at once," Patty replied as she sent off a burst from her SMG. "At least we've got Miyuki and Tsukasa taking some of them out."

Kagami was about to reply when she noticed a brute appear on an elevated platform to their right. "Look out!" she shouted, grabbing Patricia's arm and dragging her out from cover as a hail of 5mm rounds rained down on them.

"Wait, we're heading _towards_ them?" Patricia said as she fired off her SMG.

"I'd rather go up against hunting rifles than that minigun," Kagami replied, wincing as a .32 round bounced off her shoulder.

The initiate drew her sledgehammer as they closed on the group of mutants, still a dozen strong. The two entered into frantic close combat with the mutants, ducking and weaving around bullets and melee blows. Many times the mutants would strike each other or be caught between the two girls and the minigun.

"We're not doing so bad," Patricia called as a magnum round popped the head of another mutant's head.

"Yeah, but we won't last like this forever," Kagami replied as she forced a mutant back with her sledge.

She turned to see the stream of mingun fire coming towards her and braced herself, but the rounds suddenly started flying up into the sky. Confused, Kagami glanced at the brute and saw Konata hanging off its back, her arm wrapped around its neck and her knife poised to strike. Kagami didn't have time to watch the kill, however, as a mutant was bearing down on her with a sledge of its own. The initiate dove to dodge the blow, allowing Patricia to mince the mutant with her SMG. Another mutant took aim at the merc from behind, but a small rogue landing on its head threw off the shot.

"You're late," Kagami said as she swung at a mutant's jaw.

"But not too late," Konata replied as the mutant tried to dislodge her. "Took some extra time to circle around that brute. Figured you'd want him gone ASAP." The rogue drove her sword into the mutant's ear and through its head before leaping to the ground. "Now we just mop them up,"

"Don't be so sure," Kagami cautioned, pointing at a small group of mutants falling back. However, they were quickly cut off by laser bolts and magnum rounds; Miyuki and Tsukasa had taken advantage of the chaos and advanced unnoticed, quickly wiping out the stragglers.

"I'm glad that's over," Kagami sighed. "Come on, lets get moving."

"Just a sec," Konata insisted. "I saw an ammo box up on that platform." The rogue climbed to the platform, finding the box beside a gore bag and two corpses. "Jackpot!" she exclaimed as she cracked the lock and looked inside, finding eighteen missiles. She scanned the platform for more boxes, but she was surprised to see a man sitting on the far end instead. His wrists and ankles were tied, and he just stared at her. "Uh, hi there?" Konata said. "You want a hand?"

"You mean you're not going to kill me?" the man replied, sounding confused.

"Uh, no?" Konata cut through the ropes with her knife. "Why would I kill you?"

"I thought that anyone as strong as you are would be a killer. Nice people usually end up dead out here." He rubbed his wrists as he stood up. "But I guess that's not entirely true. Thank you. I thought I was dead for sure."

"No problem," Konata replied as they climbed down. "I can't just leave you here, after all."

"Who's that?" Tsukasa asked as the two rejoined the group.

"Another captive," Konata replied.

Kagami frowned. "Another? Why are the super mutants kidnapping people all of a sudden?"

"Actually, I've been hearing rumors about them doing that for a while now," Patricia replied. "I just thought the were scary stories, but now I'm not so sure."

"What exactly happened to you?" Miyuki asked.

"I was coming back from a trip to Rivet City when the mutants came after me," the man replied. "I thought they were just going to attack me, but instead they grabbed me and dragged me back here. Anyway, I guess I owe you girls my thanks. If you hadn't come along, I don't know what they would have done with me. How'd you all learn to fight like that?"

"That's just what we do," Konata said boastfully. "Killing mutants, protecting the weak, it's all in a day's work for us."

"We're really nothing that special," Tsukasa said with a sweatdrop. "We just get lucky, mostly."

"Actually, it's because we're PCs," Konata said. She placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I feel so bad for you poor NPCs."

"Huh?"

"Ignore her," Kagami said. "What are you gonna do now?"

"I should be able to make it out of D.C. now," the man replied. "Especially since you all came from the west. That means there won't be any mutants."

"We did kill a few on our way down here," Patricia said proudly. "Good luck. I hope you get where your going." The girls left the camp and continued east, while the man went back the way they came from.

"So the super mutants are kidnapping wastelanders off the streets," Kagami thought out loud.

"A very troubling thought," Miyuki added. "What use could they possibly have for captives?"

"I'll bet that they drag them off to eat them," Konata said. "Like, they tie them down and start cutting pieces off one by one, until the person dies from blood loss!"

"Kona-chan!" Tsukasa cried, "Don't say things like that! That's scary!"

"Besides," Kagami said, "Assuming they do eat people, wouldn't that be what the bags of gore around their camps are for?"

"Perhaps they prefer the taste of a fresh kill," Miyuki mused. "Intense fear alters body chemistry, so perhaps a person who is eaten alive has an improved flavor?"

"It's even scarier the way Yuki-chan says it!" Tsukasa cried.

"Oh, forgive me!" Miyuki said quickly, "I was merely speculating. I don't mean to imply that to be the case."

"But still, what would they need us for?" Patricia asked. "Slave labor?"

"What would they be laboring over?" Konata asked. "For that matter, what would they need us to labor over? They have ten times our muscle!"

"I guess it'll have to stay a mystery," Kagami said with a shrug. "Anyway, look. We're getting close to Rivet City." A massive aircraft carrier came into sight as they rounded a bend, it's bow broken off and half submerged.

"Oh my. That's Rivet City?" Miyuki gasped.

"Yep," Konata replied. "Welcome to the biggest town in the Capitol Wasteland. Probably the safest, too."

Even though it was well worn and beached on the riverbed, the enormous vessel still struck Miyuki as majestic. "How very resourceful, using the vessel as a city. It has all the size and structure people would need."

"It's defensible too," Kagami added. "Only one way onto that boat, and they've got a whole security force ready to guard it."

"You know, I've always wanted to see the inside of this place," Tsukasa said as they climbed the small scrap tower directly across the river from the ship. "I wonder why we've never come here before?"

"It's because our family was always moving between settlements out in the wastes," Kagami replied. "And when we finally came this far south, it was to join the Brotherhood of Steel. Truth be told, I'm kinda curious to see this place myself."

The girls found a security intercom mounted on the the top of the tower. "Hey there, rangers of the wastes coming through with important business, so let us in!" Konata shouted into the intercom.

"You could've at least said please," Kagami muttered. "Just because the whole world blew up doesn't mean we have to abandon common courtesy."

The intercom suddenly buzzed to life. "Please wait while the bridge extends." A metallic groan sounded as the cargo crane suspending the bridge swung towards them, connecting the bridge to the tower with a clang.

"Wow, we're really high up," Tsukasa said nervously as they crossed over the wide expanse.

"Don't look down," Konata teased.

"Hold it," a man wearing black security armor said, stopping them before they could reach the deck. "I'm Harkness, chief of security. State your business in Rivet City."

Konata counted off on her fingers. "Well, we're looking for Miyuki-san's mom, we've got the Declaration of Independence and other stuff to sell to Abraham Washington, I've got research to do on the city, we'll probably do some trading, and we need to talk to a Doctor Li." The rogue smirked. "That good enough for you?"

"Alright, alright," Harkness replied. "Go on in, smarty pants. Just don't cause any trouble, or you'll wind up floating face down in the river."

"Of course," Miyuki said as they passed by him. "We won't cause any trouble at all."

* * *

The tall girl stepped through the hatch and onto the catwalk. She looked down at the handful of makeshift shops set up in the ship's vast hanger, fixing her gaze on Gary's Galley. Closing her sharp cyan eyes, Minami Iwasaki took a deep breath before making her way down to the restaurant. She kept her head low, letting her mint green hair cover her eyes.

Minami stepped off the catwalk stairs and onto the deck, immediately spotting her friend, Yutaka Kobayakawa among the dining tables. The small girl was hurrying to the far table with plates of food in her hands, her short crimson pigtails trailing behind her. _Be careful not to trip, Yu-chan, _Minami silently cautioned.

Yutaka made it to her destination unscathed, however. "Here's your iguana-on-a-stick, Tammy, and squirrel bits for you, James." She smiled sincerely after giving them their food. "I hope you enjoy your meal!"

Tammy Hargrave took a bite of her iguana before spitting it back out. "This tastes horrible!" she threw the food back at Yutaka, who was barely able to dodge it. "Listen here, brat. You march right back to Gary and tell him I want my caps back, right this instant!"

"Y-Yes ma'am," Yutaka managed to squeak out before hurrying away.

Minami glared at Tammy; she could tell that the alcoholic would cross the line one of these days. She watched as Yutaka came back to the table, fidgeting with her hands.

"I-I'm sorry Tammy, but Gary said he wouldn't give you a refund."

"Why you little crooks! You're out to steal my caps, aren't you?" Tammy abruptly pushed her chair out and stood, towering over the small girl.

"N-No, that's not it at all! It's just-"

"Shut up! I'm going to teach you a lesson, you brat!" Tammy raised her fist into the air, but suddenly found her wrist in a vice grip before she could bring it down.

"Leave. Her. Alone."

Tammy wretched her hand free and turned to face the interloper, finding herself staring into intensely angry cyan eyes. "This is none of your business, bitch. Back off!"

Minami just glared back at her. "If you dare hurt Yutaka, I _will_ make you regret it."

"Tough talk," Tammy hissed, the stench of beer coming off her breath. "Let's see if you can back it up."

"Hey, what's going on back here?" The two turned to see a member of security approaching. "Alright, alright, break it up. Listen Tammy, if you keep picking fights, than I'm going to have to turn you over to Chief Harkness, understand?"

"Whatever," Tammy snorted before grabbing her son by the hand. "Come on, James. We're leaving."

"But mom," James whined, "I haven't finished!"

"I don't care," Tammy yelled as she dragged him away. "Don't talk back to me!"

Minami watched the two leave before turning to Yutaka; the poor girl looked shaken. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. Thank you." The small girl looked up at Minami, her dark green eyes shining. "It's a good thing you were here, Iwasaki-san. You're always watching out for me!"

"It's nothing," the tall girl replied. "Is your shift almost over?"

"Yeah, there's no more customers around, so I just need to clean up the tables."

"Alright. I'll wait for you here."

"Okay!" Yutaka smiled before going off to finish her shift.

_She's so pure and innocent,_ Minami thought as she watched the small girl busily clearing and wiping down all the tables. _I feel like – no, I know – I have to keep her safe. _

"I'm all finished!" Yutaka called as she trotted back to her friend. "Come on, let's go out on the deck."

Minami let the the small girl take her by the hand and lead her back up to the stairwell. The feeling of Yutaka's hand in her own filled Minami with a warm, gentle feeling. _She's so kind and caring,_ Minami thought as they climbed the stairs to the flight deck. _She deserves a better life than this. A life where she isn't surrounded by greed and violence and death. _She quietly sighed to herself. _But that's more than I can give her. I can only give her my loyalty. My protection._

They opened the hatch out to the flight deck, a former runway for naval warplanes. A few aircraft still sat atop the ancient carrier, their wings neatly folded, awaiting a deployment that would never come. The two girls crossed the wide expanse of metal, passing the baseball diamond on their way to a small bench.

"Minami-chan?" Yutaka asked after they had been sitting for a while.

"Yes?"

"Why doesn't anyone try to fix the city?" Minami looked out over the ruined skyline, her sharp eyes mournful. "Because it's too dangerous."

"But why is it dangerous? Is there something out there?"

Minami glanced down at the Yutaka. The naïve girl had been sheltered from the harshness of the wastes by her sister. She knew nothing of raiders or mutants or slavers, nothing of the cruelty and suffering so common in the Wasteland. "There are people out there," Minami answered. "People who wouldn't hesitate to hurt you, to do terrible things to you." Minami remembered seeing her mother dragged away by raiders years ago, before she had found her way to Rivet City.

"But not all the people are like that, right? The merchants come from the Wasteland, so there has to be somewhere else safe." Yutaka may not have known much about the world, but she was perceptive.

"That's true, but it's still dangerous out there." Minami replied. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"Well, lately I've been thinking that maybe I'd like to see the world," Yutaka answered, looking a bit uncertain. "Rivet City is my home, but there has to be more than just what we have here."

Minami looked startled. "No. That's out of the question."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Yutaka, you don't know how bad things are out there in the Wasteland." Minami bowed her head, letting her hair hang down over her eyes. "I barely managed to survive out there before coming here. And I saw horrible things. People get sold as slaves, killed, or worse out there. If you decide to leave Rivet City, then I can't do much to protect you."

Yutaka tilted her head as she stared at her friend. "Protect me?"

"Yes. Yutaka, there's something I need to say to you. I... I care about you. If I ever saw you come to harm, I don't know what I would do. Please, Yutaka, stay in Rivet City."

Yutaka cast her eyes downward. "You're probably right, Minami-chan. I just feel like there's so much to experience out there, things I'll never see here. I could travel with one of the caravans, and maybe I could even help some of the people out there."

Minami looked down at Yutaka's sad face before sighing. "Then I will go with you."

Yutaka looked up at her friend. "What?"

"If you feel you must leave, then I will go with you and keep you as safe as I can."

"But, what about the Church? You're studying as an acolyte to become a priestess."

Minami shook her head. "You are more important than any of that. You always have been. Wherever you go, I will follow." Minami leaned close to her friend. "Yutaka, I'm ready to give my life for you. Anything to keep you safe."

Yutaka gazed into her friend's strong, determined eyes. "You aways have been there for me, haven't you, Minami-chan?" The small girl blushed slightly. "You know, I've always felt that there was something between us, something stronger than friendship. You mean so much to me, Minami-chan, and to hear you say you'll always watch out for me... It makes me feel like we can face the world together!"

"Yutaka..." Minami whispered as she leaned closer to her friend, their lips slowly drifting towards each other.

"Minami-chan..."

* * *

"Hiyorin! Time to wake up!" Patricia lightly hit her friend on the head, suddenly jolting her up from her dream.

"W-Welcome to A Quick Fix! Please consider our fine selection of chems!" Hiyori quickly brushed her dark hair out of her dark purple eyes. "Oh, it's only you, Patty-chan." Hiyori straightened her glasses before noticing a series of scribbles on the counter in front of her. She panicked a bit when she realized the scribbles resembled two people kissing.

"Hm? Drawing in your sleep?" Patricia asked, noticing the scribbles as well. "Just what were dreaming about, Hiyori?"

"I really can't remember," Hiyori lied as she covered the scribbles with some paper.

"Inspiration for a doujin, by the looks of it," Konata said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "How's it going, Hiyori? Long time no see."

"Konata-san?" Hiyori replied, sounding surprised. "I wasn't expecting to see you! How long has it been?"

"Oh, five, maybe six years? It's been a while since my dad brought me down here before. Anyway, I've got some friends here." Konata gestured to the rest of the group. "Guys, this is Hiyori Tamura, an old friend of mine. Hiyori, that's Kagami and Tsukasa Hiiragi, from the Brotherhood of Steel."

"Hello there," Tsukasa greeted.

"Hey," Kagami added.

"And this is Miyuki Takara," Konata continued. "She's from Vault 101, if you can believe it."

"Oh, so you're the Vault Dweller. I heard about you on the radio. " Hiyori said. "I hear you've done some amazing things, Takara-san."

Miyuki smiled. "Thank you for saying so. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tamura-san."

Hiyori couldn't help but grin as she looked over Miyuki. _A formal education and dignified upbringing combine to make a well-mannered and intelligent girl. And with that pleasant personality wrapped up in shapely hips, a big bust, and beautiful hair, this girl is a true embodiment of moe! And she wears glasses to boot!_

Konata seemed to read Hiyori's face. "Nice stats, huh?"

Hiyori nodded. "Very nice!"

Kagami folded her arms. "Not to sound rude, but shouldn't we get to the task at hand?"

"Yeah, you're right," Konata replied. "We'll catch up later, Hiyori. We've got quests to finish."

"Oh, alright," Hiyori called after them, "Nice meeting you all!"

* * *

Salutations all. Hoping you're all enjoying the story so far.

So what do you guys think of my little twist on the standard "previously on..."? Having Three Dog talk to you guys directly with a "news update" seemed like a great way to start immersing you all in the world before the chapter proper.

Lots of characters making their debut this time, including bonus guest Meito Anizawa. Really hoping I did him justice. New to the main group is Hiyori Tamura, everyone's favorite perverted manga artist. We also catch a delusional glimpse of Yutaka and Minami. Hope that little bit was quality enough for you yuri fiends ;) And let's not forget Akira; though she's not a new character, she's catching up to the girls and is going to make an impact soon.

Behind the scenes! Yutaka, Minami, Hiyori, and Patty were originally planned to replace the members of the Temple of the Union, including Cherry as Four Score. That kept all four together as a close group, but it presented problems with involving Yui, who of course has to be associated with Yutaka. Another problem was the fact that the Temple of the Union is far off the main quest path, so there was no believable way for the main girls to even find them. Not to mention the character decay involved in casting Lucky Star characters as main characters; I didn't want these four to suffer Yukari's fate. Finally, there would be no background diversity among them; they'll all have the cookie cutter origin of "former slave," which is boring. So I moved them all to Rivet City and put them in the roles of minor characters. Patty was originally supposed to run A Quick Fix alongside Hiyori, but I decided that putting her in Sydney's role gave her a skillset better suited to her than a merchant. I won't say much more about Yutaka or Minami though, since they haven't actually made an appearance, but their roles in Rivet City were decided early, and they're very fitting.

So that about wraps it up. Thanks for reading, and don't be afraid to tell me what you think!


End file.
